DISCLAIMER:
Welcome, episode 29 is here. What will happen to the challenge? The challenge is in the pier, the mountain, or the lake? And who will win and who will lose? Find out here on Total Drama Tyranny of the Masses.
And if you like the story so far, please mark it as a favorite to let me know you are out there and are enjoying it. Or if you feel fancy, leave a review with your thoughts. Now let me answer the past week reviews.
Guest: Ok, you really make my week letting me know you enjoyed the Aftermath ;D. Yes Duncan is a jerk, but I hope the dynamic with Sammy is interesting. About the rest, we will have to put to the test Courtney and Cody friendship soon.
And as always, a MASSIVE shoutout and THANKS to Geofics, that is helping me with proofreading of the episodes. I always repeat it because I mean it. Thanks a lot.
Total Drama belongs to Fresh TV, its creators, and associates companies. I don't own anything from the properties used in this fic.
Just follow the instructions Part 2
The two teams arrived at the docks for the next challenge. To their surprise, there was a giant cliff again in the middle of the island. But this time, the tallest part of the cliff was separated from them by a gorge. Also, Chef was aboard the boat of losers -or a pretty old and rusty boat quite similar to that one- waiting for the campers with his trademark frowning expression and a captain's hat.
Chris, who was on the docks in front of the boat, greeted them with open arms. "Welcome campers, now that Lilly's here, at last, we can begin."
"I'm sorry I'm late," said Lilly, huffing. "But the dock is too far away from the cabins."
"It's only a 10 minute walk from the cabins." Said Sky raising an eyebrow at the treehugger.
"Yes, just as I said, too far away," replied Lilly gulping and trying to recover her breath.
Chris clapped his hands to catch their attention. "Ok, Foxes and Ferrets, welcome to this do-it-yourself challenge. The rules are easy. This is a relay race, done in 4 legs. To win, each team has to assemble an item to reach the next relay point. It won't be that hard, just follow the instructions in each leg, and the challenge will be a breeze," the Host chuckled evilly after saying this.
"And what must we pass as the baton? A Pig? A snake?" asked Topher, folding his arms and showing his best angle.
"Nothing like that Topher, that would be like a blast to the past challenge," Said Chris waving his finger. "You'll pass this ordinary relay baton in your team's color. At each relay point, you'll be paired with a teammate chosen by us. Just to make it interesting. We want to motivate that teamwork."
There were some whispers between the contestants. Some were excited and others rolled their eyes, knowing already who they'll be paired with.
"Sounds simple enough. What's the catch?" asked Beth, raising her hand. Everyone thought the same, but no one wanted to ask.
"Catch?" Chris tilted his head, "There is no catch. You go in pairs, and each pair will have to do a leg. You choose which leg each pair will do. The pairs are-"
Chris stopped right there, enjoying the suspense on the face of most campers, sans Courtney and Heather, that instead looked annoyed.
"For the ferrets, Mike and Amy, Shawn and Beth, Topher and Dramaman and Sky and Lilly," said Chris, narrowing his eyes at the campers.
"WAIT! I want to be with Mike," said Amy glaring at the Host. There was a small silence. Zoey felt flustered, not knowing why, especially as Mike's reaction was laughing while rubbing his arm.
"I said Mike and Amy, are you paying attention? Or you were that eager to be with him?" said Chris with a mocking smile.
Amy sighed and looked at him, with an offended expression, "I was just teasing you. All of you are soooo gullible."
"After the lame interruption. Now on the foxes side, the pairs are as follows. Zoey and Brick, Alejandro and Heather, Cody and Courtney and Duncan and Samey," said Chris, smirking.
What! Why are you pairing me with HIM!? Courtney stopped at the moment. She wasn't paired with Duncan but with Cody. She didn't know why, but she wasn't happy about not being in the pair with that ogre.
Instead, two foxes pairs didn't look happy with the result. One was Sammy and Duncan. The delinquent seemed unconcerned, but the blond cheerleader looked worried at him. And the other pair was even worse.
"WHY are you pairing ME with HIM, Chris?" shouted Heather, pointing at Alejandro. "You know how things are between us. Is this your idea of entertainment?"
The host enjoyed the situation. "The pairs were chosen randomly, and you can't prove otherwise."
Heather folded her arms and turned her face to not look at Alejandro's smirk.
"Then can we start already?" Asked Zoey, trying to ignore what happened earlier with Mike.
"Don't be in such a hurry. There is one more thing you need to know before the challenge. What you need to build in each leg." Said Chris as an afterthought. "you'll have 10 minutes to decide which pair will do each leg. The first will be building a boat in one of those islets over there." He added, pointing at the lake, "and bring the baton all the way to the hill."
"Then you'll give the baton to the second team that had to build a bridge to cross this small gorge. Try to not fall, or someone will have to bring the relay baton back to the top of the hill." Chris winked at them before continuing, "Then the third leg will have to build a stairway to the top of that rocky peak. You have to climb using the stairs you build. Climbing using your hands or legs isn't allowed."
Sky clicked her tongue, as the rest were whispering about the order of the pairs. Chris ignored them and continued with his speech.
"And the last leg, you have to build a hang glider and fly over the lake to the goal on the beach," said Chris in a neutral tone, trying to not laugh.
For a moment, every camper kept silent and looked at Chris with wide eyes and terrified expressions.
"Did you say a hang glider?" asked Courtney as shocked as the rest.
"Yes, you hear right, a hang glider," replied Chris enjoying the tension. "So you have to build a boat, a bridge, a stairway, and a hang glider. You have ten minutes to decide which pair will be working on each leg."
The teams then gathered. They knew that whatever happens, the glider was the worst leg to take.
Confessional: Sky
The Cree girl is looking at the side of the confessional, avoiding the camera. "Ok, I just want to say that I don't have any problem working with Lilly. Yes, she seems childish, weak, and easily distracted. But that is just because we never worked together. I'm sure that once on the challenge, all will be ok … well, at least I hope it will be."
At the foxes gathering, Heather glared at her teammates, being the first to talk.
"Alejandro here had experience building boats. So even if I don't want to, I'll be working with him on the first leg," said Heather scowling at the Spaniard that threw her a kiss.
"Hold right there. You're just trying to avoid the glider," said Courtney frowning. "And no, first, we'll choose fairly who will be on the last leg, and then we decide who does the other three."
Heather tossed her braid at Courtney. "Mph! As you want. Then how are we choosing who does the last leg?"
"Stop whining. We'll do it."
All the eyes went directly to the volunteer. Duncan rolled his eyes at his teammates' reaction, while Sammy looked at him with wide eyes and open mouth.
"What!? Please don't make those decisions by yourself! We're a team," Said Sammy trying to look less scared than she was.
Courtney blinked a couple of times. "Duncan, are you sure? You have to build a hang glider and jump on it. Probably both will have to jump. You can't build it and throw Sammy alone."
The younger twin blanched. If that was his plan he was a MONSTER!
"I know, we'll both fly like seagulls. You focus on giving us the damn baton," said Duncan shrugging.
"If you insist, I'll not stop you," said Heather, looking at Sammy with sadness and shrugging.
"In the army, they teach us the basics about both making boats and bridges, so my unit will be more efficient on either of those legs," said Brick, saluting.
"Suena bien[1]," said Alejandro rubbing his chin. "We'll take the first leg, Zoey's team second, Courtney's team third, and Sammy's team fourth."
"I don't like it," said Courtney putting her hands on her hips. "The boat is the easier and least dangerous leg."
"And someone has to do it. Unless making the stairway is too difficult for you, Courtney, but I doubt that is the case," said Heather. She sounded honest, but there was some mocking expression on her eyes.
The Latin girl knew it was a provocation. The old Courtney would jump on that, but she wasn't the girl that needed to demonstrate how good she was. But then she had a mischievous idea.
"Of course, we can do it." Said Courtney in an arrogant tone, putting a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Cody, we're making the stairway."
Cody looked at her with wide eyes. "Eh!? Yes, as you wish. I really don't mind doing any of the legs."
"Then our unit will take care of the bridge, right Zoey?" said Brick looking at his partner. But the indie girl was not paying attention, biting her thumb while looking at the Ferrets team. "ZOEY!"
The redhead was pulled out of her thoughts by Brick's shout. "Eh? Yes, I'm sorry I was distracted. Let's go with your plan."
"Are you ok?" asked Brick, raising both eyebrows. Courtney also was discreetly looking at her.
"Of course! I was only daydreaming," said Zoey smiling and closing her eyes. Brick nodded a bit. Neither he nor Courtney was convinced.
"Then it's decided, Foxes, let's win this one," said Alejandro, showing a smug smile and raising an arm.
The 8 foxes shouted and raised their fist, but one of them wasn't confident in surviving this challenge at all.
Confessional: Sammy
Sammy was pale, looking with wide eyes at the camera. "Duncan knows how to build a hand glider, right? RIGHT? I mean, he wouldn't ask for the most dangerous leg if he didn't have some kind of confidence, right?" She then looked worried at the ground.
At the same time, on the ferrets' side, they were also trying to decide who will do each leg. Sky stood next to Dramaman, but the masked man swapped places with Topher. This didn't go unnoticed by the Cree girl. Unfortunately, there were more pressing matters at hand.
"Ok team, we have to choose the better pairs to do each leg," said Topher looking confidently at his teammates.
"Yeah, right. More like no one wants to plummet to their deaths during the last leg," said Amy while holding Mike's arm tightly.
Mike blushed and smiled sheepishly, "Maybe you shouldn't hold me so hard."
"Why? We're paired. It's better to keep each other close, duh," she said, holding him tighter.
"Ehem," Topher cleared his throat to call everyone's attention. "Ok, so we need to choose who will do the fourth leg. Anyone has experience building gliders?"
Shawn raised a hand. "I studied how to fly a hang glider. And also repair cars, motorcycles, light airplanes, motorboats. I'm planning to get my pilot license next year."
"W-well, i-if he's the only o-one with experience. I guess we-we should be the l-last leg." Said Beth trying to smile confidently, but she was really frightened about having to fly in the hang glider.
Topher couldn't hide the relief on his face. "Perfect, Beth and Shawn take care of that. Now, we need to choose the other legs."
"We'll take the first leg," exclaimed Sky raising her hand.
"NOOO! we can't. I'm a weak swimmer," replied Lilly in a louder (but still soft) tone.
"Then, we'll take the second leg, the bridge," said the gymnast, twisting her mouth.
Lilly shook his head wildly. "I suffer from vertigo, so building a bridge is a little too much-"
"THEN WE MAKE THE STAIRWAY, ok?" shouted Sky, she wanted to help in the challenge, and Lilly's attitude was infuriating her.
"I'm sorry, I suffer from ver-" said Lilly twiddling her finger.
Sky nostrils were flaring. She glared at the treehugger. "AUGH! You know WE have to do a leg, right? Each team must do one. So please tell me which one YOU can make,"
Lilly's lips began to tremble, and her eyes filled with tears.
"Can you stop bullying her? Not everyone is an iron woman like you," said Amy scowling at Sky. "Now Lilly, don't cry and choose a leg. Even if you want to fly, they'll let you."
Beth's heart filled with hope, but sadly it was not what she expected.
"No, I'm afraid of heights. So let's build the stairway," Said Lilly nodding and not looking into Sky's eyes.
"See, you don't need to bully her," said Amy going back to Mike and hugging his arm again.
Mike sighed, but Topher ignored him. "So then there is the bridge and the boat. Any preference?" said the host wannabe facing Dramaman, Mike, and Amy.
"I think we would make the boat, what you prefer Mike, boat or bridge?" said Amy showing a beautiful smile to the thin guy.
"Bridge. I feel more secure in the land than at the lake," said Mike showing a goofy smile, his face red.
"Oh!? In that case, we'll build the bridge." Said Amy as if it was the more natural thing in the world.
Topher groomed his hair with his hand. "All right, then Dramaman and I'll take the first leg." The wrestler just nodded.
"Well, team, let's do this," said Topher. The ferrets answered but without as much enthusiasm as the foxes.
Confessional: Amy
"At last, I have a challenge without that useless Samey bothering me all the time. Now I can show my true skills. I don't miss having that preachy crybaby Samey at my side." Amy said, smiling at the camera but then looking sadly at the door of the confessional.
The teams told Chris about the order, the host just grinned and nodded. "Great, Alejandro, Heather, Topher, and the hero of the kids, DRAMAMAN! Please board Chef's boat. He'll take you to your island for the first leg. Rest of the teams, you can start reading the instructions, studying the tools, and unpacking them, but you can only build them when you have the baton. There is no time limit for the challenge, but I would recommend flying to the goal before dark."
The boat took the 4 campers to the islands. No one was talking. The atmosphere was so heavy that you could cut it with a knife.
"I must say this is quite the challenge. What were the odds that Aleheather would be together?" asked Topher, trying to start a conversation. It was the first time he talked with the former couple.
Alejandro smirked, but Heather glared at the host wannabe. "Ugh! Right now, we aren't a couple, and I hate those stupid couple names. It should be Hethandro in any case."
Topher looked at them with wide eyes, while Dramaman was leaning on the boat rail, looking at the lake.
"I can't believe it, but you're the most famous couple on the show. Or second, because Gidgette is also kind of popular. But anyway, I can't believe you broke up, especially after that dance during the last challenge," said Topher, looking at them with wide eyes.
Heather narrowed her eyes at the host wannabe. "You should ask AL about it. He probably can give you the details." She then tossed her braid, turning her back at the Spaniard.
Topher then turned to see Alejandro while he scowled at the Queen Bee. "There isn't much to say. I made a mistake, but believe me, Heather, you are the most important girl in my life."
Now even Dramaman was looking at the scene. Of course, he knew who Alejandro and Heather were. After all, he had to study all the contestants' dossiers for the show, but he never put too much thought into their relationship until now.
"You tell that to all the girls you meet. Do you think I'm so naive to believe it? HA!" Heather then looked at the lake, ignoring Alejandro and the other two men.
The Spaniard shrugged with a sad smile. "And that is the full story. And you, gentleman, how is it going? Your team seems to work quite well together."
There was a moment of silence. Topher knew that Alejandro was great at messing with his opponents and didn't want to give him a chance. "Yes, we're like clockwork."
"I'm glad to hear that. But that will become a problem later, you know? When the merge arrives, you'll have to deal with the stronger players. You should think about it while you are in control of the game," the Spaniard said, making a friendly smile.
"I understand what you are saying, but you also need strong competitors to win the team phase. If not, your team will end eliminating more players." Said Topher, not denying that Alejandro had a point.
Alejandro just smiled. "That is also true. But we're already on round 9, so you must look for a balance. Just look at the team, you eliminated that giant girl, but you haven't lost all the challenges, have you?"
"No, we haven't," said the host wannabe, putting a hand under his chin.
The boat stopped. "We're here. Ferrets get out of the boat, Foxes stay until we arrive at the other island," shouted Chef, without moving from behind the rudder.
"Well, nice to meet you. Good Luck in the challenge," said Topher going quickly out of the boat, followed by Dramaman.
Alejandro waved at them. "Nice to meet you too. And remember what I told you. Luckily you have Beth on your team. She's really smart. Try to rely on her if you need a strategy."
Topher and Dramaman waved at them.
"That guy, I'm not sure if he was trying to support us or trying to make us lose the challenge." Said Dramaman. Alejandro, sounded honest and kind, but he was probably like that on the world tour season, where he caused almost half of the eliminations.
"Yes, you're right Draman, we should also be careful with Beth," said Topher, as both men walked to the box with the equipment to start the challenge.
On the boat, Heather kept looking at the lake. "You're a magnificent bastard."
"Lo sé, gracias," replied Alejandro smirking and looking at Topher and Dramaman
Confessional: Topher
Topher looked at the camera and then moved little to the right, so it records his best angle."Alejandro isn't wrong. People like Sky and Shawn will be harder to boot in the merge. But at the same time, he can be trying to trick us into booting our strongest players. Now I understand why people hate him."
At the top of the peak, Beth and Shawn were unpacking the parts to build the hang glider but couldn't start making it until they get the baton from Sky and Lilly. They ignored what happened between Alejandro and Topher, not that knowing would make a difference for Shawn.
"The instructions are in Chinese," said Beth, sweating worried, "how are we supposed to build this if the instructions are in Chinese?"
Shawn took the instructions and looked at them. "It's not Chinese. It's Japanese. Look carefully. Not all the ideograms are kanjis."
"Do you speak Japanese?" said Beth, showing a big smile on her face.
"No, I only know to say hello, thanks, and goodbye," replied Shawn. Beth's smile disappeared as fast as it appeared. He shrugged, "Well, at least it has diagrams. We just have to do our best with what we have."
"Are you crazy? We're talking about jumping in a glider built by us, with the instructions written in an Asian language that neither of us can read. How can we do our best like this?"
"In the future, when the apocalypse arrives, there wouldn't be instructions or even packed hang gliders," said Shawn, looking at the horizon with a stern expression. "You'll have to build all from trash and what you have at hand. This isn't different. We'll just have to improvise and create a hang glider. Luckily we have all the parts, so it'll not be that hard."
Beth raised an eyebrow "are you talking about the zombie apocalypse again? I'm starting to think you really believe in that."
"Of course, I believe! I told you yesterday!" said Shawn, raising a little his toque.
"But that is impossible! We already talked about this. Why would the government make a disease they can't control?" Said Beth, still thinking that he may be joking.
The conspiranoic narrowed his eyes at her. "Because they believe they can control it, but the rate of infection is too high. There is no way they can find a way to control it before there is an accident, and the virus goes out into the world."
"Who are they? Some kind of secret organization you can't mention on television?" asked Beth, blinking a couple of times.
"Of course no, it's the government. Every great power on earth is researching the virus, including Canada. You really believe everything they say on TV?" Said Shawn, flaring his nostrils.
Beth clenched her fist. "Hey! I don't believe everything that is on TV. But you have to admit all this zombie theory is too far fetched. Like c'mon, you're the one that has watched too many movies."
Then both stood there, clenching their fists and scowling at each other. This will be a long challenge.
Confessional: Shawn
"I can't believe her. She's the example of a brainwashed citizen created by the corporations to not think by themselves and only believe what the government says. It's maddening how these drones try to argue with you." said Shawn folding his arms and frowning at the camera.
Down the mountain where Courtney and Cody unpacking the parts of the stairs. The framework of the construction was already built in the rock at the side of the mountain. They only have to make the rest of the structures and put the steps.
"Wow! I can't understand anything that is written in the instructions," said Cody looking at the pamphlet. "is it Thai?"
Courtney took out the steps from the container and put them near the framework at the mountain's base. She then walked next to Cody and looked at the paper.
"Nope, it's Khmer," said Courtney, who then went back to the container.
Cody turned upside down the paper. "Do you speak Khmer? And also, in which country do they speak Khmer?"
"Is the official language of Cambodia," said Courtney leaning inside the container to take another step. "and no, I can't read it. I speak English, French, Portuguese, and a little Spanish and Chinese. But no Khmer. But I can identify the alphasyllabary."
"Wow, where did you find time to learn all that?" asked Cody, raising both eyebrows.
There was a moment of silence while she carried the step and put it with the others. "When I was young, I had many classes. But I also wanted to excel, so I used my free time to study all that I could use in the future. Languages, history, laws, everything that was written in a book that I could get my hands on."
"And when did you have time to play?" asked Cody, who now was also at the container taking out some pieces.
"I played in the school's recess and in my friends' houses when some of them invited me to play on Thursday afternoon. That was my free day. But I also played when I had tennis lessons, it was fun." Said Courtney, making a small smile.
"It sounds like a harsh childhood," replied Cody, helping her carry the steps.
Courtney shook her head. "Oh no, don't feel bad about me. I wasn't sad or upset. In fact, I was proud of becoming the best person I could. I prefer to keep doing that instead of wasting my time with other children of my age that were a lot more immature. The only problem…"
There was a long silence while both carried the step. Cody looked with a puzzled expression at the Latin girl before asking. "what was the only problem?"
She hesitated before answering. "the only problem was that it was quite solitary. Being alone at the top is really lonely."
Confessional: Cody
Cody was rubbing his neck at the camera. "Wow, I mean, wow. I never liked Courtney, especially after World Tour. But I can relate to her. I live in the suburbs, and being an only child, I was usually by myself, and being alone is painful. At least I had my friends. I can't imagine someone's childhood alone studying all the time."
Mike and Amy were looking at the pieces of their leg. The frame for the bridge was already there, in the form of two long beams that crossed the chasm. But they have to build the bridge over them and cross it. If not, the relay will not count, and the team on the stairway can't start building.
Amy could see Zoey looking at them every now and then from across the plain, but she couldn't hear what she was talking about with Brick. This was a great chance.
"And Mike, what are you doing?" said Amy, putting her body against Mike's side and looking at the paper he was reading.
The guy with the spiky hair was startled and blushed at the twin's advancement. "I was trying to read the instructions, but I'm not sure which language it's written in."
Amy took the papers from Mike's hands, gave it a quick glance, and then threw them away. "Neither do I. Chris must think he's so funny giving us those useless instructions."
"Anyway, let's at least take out the pieces and try to figure out how to build it." Said Mike opening the big container, "Look, there are steps, cable, and rails. I wonder how you're supposed to connect this with the beams."
They began to take the pieces, and the older twin simply stacked them by type, steps on one side, rails on other, some strange metallic squares farther away.
"You know, Zoey's so fortunate to have someone like you at her side." Said Amy, making a flirtatious smile after lifting a part of a rail. "You're mature, intelligent, and good looking."
Mike almost dropped the step he was carrying. "Oh no, nothing like that. If one of us is fortunate, that's me. She's not only beautiful and kind, but she accepted me for who I am. She's the best. Sometimes I feel like I don't deserve her."
"Don't say that!" said Amy hugging him. "You're a wonderful couple. I'm sure both are equally fortunate to have found each other." She then let go of him and walked again toward the container. "I'm really envious of you. I wonder if someday I'll find a good boyfriend."
Amy's smile turned into a smirk as she watched the tender smile on Mike's face as he talked. "Of course you'll find one, Amy. Just wait, and I'm sure the right person will appear. You only need to be a little kinder, and it'll be easy for you to find someone."
The older twin winced. She didn't expect that reply. But she did her best to not show it "hahaha, you're so funny, Mike. I'm one of the kindest people I know."
"I'm not so sure. Sometimes you can be pretty harsh, especially with your sister. I know she's also harsh with you. But you should try to be the kinder one. And who knows, maybe she'll stop trying to get under your skin." Said Mike, introducing almost all his upper body into the container.
This was fortunate for the older twin because Mike couldn't look at her, squinting her eyes and clenching her teeth after hearing his advice.
Confessional: Amy
The older twin was scowling at the camera. "How dare Mike to say I'm not kind. I mean, yes, I'm someone practical who likes results, but that doesn't mean I'm not kind." She then clenched her teeth. "This is surely Sammy poisoning Mike's mind, that ungrateful cow. But she'll not ruin another one of my friendships."
On the second island, Alejandro was assembling the boat while Heather rested sitting on the beach.
"You can help a little, you know? The instructions I think are in Turkish, and I can use a hand," said the Spaniard glaring at her.
"What? The mighty and wonderful Alejandro needs help? HA, I can't believe it. Maybe if you beg, I'll think about it," said Heather making a small smile.
The Spaniard smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Do you remember this is a challenge, right? And that we can be eliminated?"
"Of course I know, but there are still 8 people on our team, so I'm not worried, there are more people with bigger targets on their back. Like that redhead, the delinquent, or YOU," said Heather, standing up and walking to the boat's parts.
"As arrogant as ever, chica. I really like that about you. Even if time passes, there are things about you that never change," Alejandro said with a small smile. He was building the boat quite quickly even without the instructions.
Heather tossed her braid. "I know, I'm charming and wonderful," she then sat and began to put together some parts of the boat. "There should still be some more challenges until the merge. How will you survive until then?"
"Are you worried about me?" said Alejandro as he smiled.
"Ha! You wish! You cheated on me, remember?" said Heather raising her head and focusing her eyes on his.
Alejandro shook his head, scowling. "Oh, yes, that story. I can't believe you told everyone. That was too much."
"Stop whining, they're filming, remember? And you know you're the only one that is to blame. After all, you was the one that told me I'm smart but not clever," Said Heather shrugging. "Anyway, this boat seemed almost complete. Are you sure it will not sink on the lake?"
Alejandro looked at the boat. It was like an orange-colored fish boat, and all pieces were in place.
"Now we only have to fill the rubber in the base of the boat, and it will be ready. Here is the air valve, so start blowing," said the Spaniard frowning at the Queen Bee.
"Do you really think I'll blow up the damn thing?" asked Heather, putting her hands on her hips.
Alejandro raised his head. "You're full of hot air, so I think you can share some."
Heather glared at him for a moment, but after that, she crouched and took the boat. "Only because we don't have enough time." She then started to blow as strong as she could on the air valve, her face turning red and her cheeks inflating.
After some tries, she sat on the ground, huffing and puffing. "It's impossible. We will never end doing it like this."
"As always, you're right, chica." Said Alejandro, putting a pedal-operated air pump near the boat, then connected it to the air valve and began to press it.
Heather kept glaring at him, with the mouth open. "You're such a bastard. I hate you!"
"I know," answered the Spaniard, winking. The Asian girl responded by kicking his shin.
Confessional: Alejandro
The Spaniard was rubbing his shin with a pained expression. "She's so fierce, impulsive, and easy to provoke. It's easy to remember why I fell in love with her. I only wish she didn't kick me so hard."
On the other island, Topher and Dramaman were working together, but sadly the boat didn't seem as well built as the one made by Alejandro and Heather.
"Well, it doesn't seem like the one on the diagram, but hopefully it'll float," said Topher scratching his head carefully to not mess up his hair.
Dramaman connected the air pump to the valve and began to step on it. "I hope it stays afloat until we arrive at the coast." Said the wrestler in a jaded tone.
"Are you alright?" asked Topher, lowering his eyebrows. "You have been down all day."
Even if Topher couldn't see it, the masked man smirked, "how can you tell?"
"C'mon Draman, we have been together 2 weeks already, and cleaning the cabin together for 1 week. I can tell if something is off." Said Topher showing a beautiful smile. "Is it related to your silly idea of voting you off in the last challenge?"
"It wasn't silly. I have caused some strife on the team, and now Sky wants me out. I don't want you guys to lose because of me, so it's better if I go away," he said, stepping on the pump absentmindedly.
"That doesn't make any sense. Why would she want to do that?" said Topher folding his arms and tilting his head.
The masked man sighed. "Because I told her to throw the quarry challenge."
"You what!?" replied Topher looking at him with wide eyes.
"I asked her to throw the challenge. It was obvious she couldn't win against Lightning, and she would only hurt herself. In the end, she was right, we won, and it was clear I couldn't trust her," the masked man said, his voice softer than usual.
"Man, that was too risky. I mean, if she had given up, either you or Lilly would be out of the game. What's more, you're lucky that Charlotte was eliminated by the viewers, or you would be gone by now," said Topher shaking his head, "And switch with me on the air pump."
Dramaman walked back, letting Topher step on the pump. The wrestler then told him "I'm not worried about being eliminated. It would even be desirable. At least that way, I could stop being Dramaman."
"I always wanted to ask you. Why did you become Dramaman?" asked Topher, raising an eyebrow.
"I can't answer that question." replied the wrestler, pointing discreetly at a camera.
Topher blinked a couple of times. "Oh!? I never thought about that. It sucks, man. But anyway you can't give up. You're already here. You should at least take a shot at the million."
"I'm not sure. I don't want to cause problems on the team," said Dramaman rubbing his neck. "Especially with Shawn's group."
"Just do your best. I owe you and Mike for helping me clean the cabin from Jay, so let me help you with this one. It's the least I could do," said Topher, just as the rubber was completely full.
"Cleaning Jay? You mean voting for him?" asked Dramaman tilting his head.
The host wannabe put his hands on the boat and smirked. "Yes, something like that, now help me to put this on the water."
Both men began to push the boat into the water, and to their surprise, it floated. Yes, the boat began to make water here and there, but they should be fine until they reach the coast.
"Well, let's go. We have the challenge to win," said Topher jumping on the boat.
Then as if queued, A huge shark jumped from the water, glaring maliciously at the ferrets on the boat.
"Of course, there will be freshwater sharks. There are always freshwater sharks." Said Dramaman shaking his head.
Confessional: Dramaman
The masked man is leaning against the confessional's wall, sitting with his face toward the other wall. "I'm grateful to Topher. Honestly, I come here for only one reason, but I'm too coward to do it. So I think it's better to be eliminated. But if I can be of help, I'll do my best to stay as long as I can."
Back at the peak, Sammy took the hang glider's parts from the container while Duncan laid on the ground, his head resting over his arms.
The younger twin glared at him. "You can help to take out the parts from the box. Or are you expecting me to do it all by myself?"
"We have time. Why are you in such a rush?" asked Duncan, turning his head to look at her.
"The ferrets are already unpacking their parts, so I think we should also do it," answered Sammy, folding her arms.
Duncan scoffed, smirking at Sammy. "There is no need to hurry, we can't start until we get the baton, and that will take a lot of time."
She began tapping with her foot. "But that doesn't mean we should stay with our arms folded. We can start separating the parts, so once we have the baton, we only have to build the glider and-" She stopped a moment and gulped, "jump on it and fly to the goal."
"We can do that later. We have enough time," said the delinquent, who stopped looking at her and began to look at the sky again.
"But what if we don't have enough time because you keep laying on the ground doing nothing?" said Sammy rolling her eyes. "Please, stand up and help me. It's our first challenge as a team."
The delinquent smirked and jumped on his feet. "Ok, let's do it. I wanted to take a nap, but I doubt you will stop nagging, right?"
"I wasn't nagging, was I?" said Sammy, but it didn't matter. At least he would help her.
Duncan stretched out. Sammy noticed how big the tattoos on his arms were, covering both of his forearms almost until the elbow. He was different from her high school friends, well, more like different from any person she knew. He then turned and began to walk to the container.
"There are many bars, the handles, and the wings. There aren't many pieces. You could have taken all out of them without my help," said Duncan pulling the bars out of the container.
"But we're a team. We should work together," said Sammy pressing her lips.
He chuckled, "Whatever." Then they began to hear a growling behind them.
Sammy looked back and found a raccoon with a white patch of fur on its side, growling at them.
"Why is so angry?" said the younger twin, stepping back.
The delinquent rolled his eyes, "Stay behind me," He then quickly took something from the ground and, on a swift moment, hit the enraged critter, throwing it from the spike.
"NOOOOO! Why did you kill it?" shouted Sammy distressed.
"It's not dead. Those little pests are quite enduring," he then went back at the container, not giving a second thought to the small mammal.
Sammy kept glaring at him while he started to hum a tune and took some more pieces out of the container. Then Duncan realized something. "Darn it, she'll start nagging again once I tell her" thought the delinquent. So he decided to keep that a secret, at least for now.
Confessional: Duncan
The delinquent was looking at the top of the confessional. "Anyway, this isn't the first raccoon that attacks me out of nowhere on this island, and somehow I always end up throwing them off a hill. Whatever," he said, shrugging, then added, "but the problem with this one is that I hit it with one of the hang glider pieces. I hope it wasn't an important piece."
Some meters down on the mountain, Sky was taking the last steps of the stairway from the container. The Cree girl was frowning, almost taking all the parts by herself, while Lilly helped with the lighter parts like the rails.
"Can you help a little more? I basically took all the parts of the stairway from the container," said Sky frowning at the tree hugger.
Lilly just answered in a low and inaudible whispering.
Sky was getting more desperate by the minute. Even if Lilly was a little taller than her, she was weak-willed and quickly gave up on everything. The gymnast just wanted to win this challenge, but it seemed she needed to do it alone.
But there was a problem, after taking all the parts of the container, there was nothing else to do, only to wait, and she wasn't good at waiting.
The Cree girl went again and tried to read the instructions, but it was writing in some foreign language. It wasn't Chinese or Japanese. She at least could recognize those. There were not even syllabic signs. Her grandmother taught her how to read those. It looked like a weird and alien alphabet.
She gave up and looked at the redhead. Lilly was playing with a raccoon with a white patch on its side.
"What are you doing?" said the gymnast, trying to sound not as annoyed as she really was.
"This poor friend was very scared, so I was helping him. You aren't scared anymore, right, little one. You aren't scared." Said Lilly to the raccoon as if it was a baby. The critter was jiggling while she scratched its belly.
"Lilly," said Sky in a tired tone, "We don't have time to be playing with the wild animals. I need your help to organize the pieces of the stairway. Please, take this challenge seriously."
Lilly stood up and looked at the Cree girl tilting her head. "But we already organize the pieces of the stair, and we can't start building until Amy brings us the baton. So I thought I could take care of this little one while we waited." Lilly's voice became softer and softer as she talked to Sky.
"NO! There are lots of things we can do instead of playing with animals! We can check the pieces again, try to make sense of the instructions, or even change the way we place the pieces so it would be easier to construct the stair," said Sky throwing her hands into the air. She was getting impatient, and the pain in her back wasn't helping.
"I'll do it, but please stop bullying me," said Lilly, her lips quivering.
Sky's eyes went wide. "I AM NOT BULLYING YOU! I'm just telling you that I need your help. WHEN DID I BULLY YOU?"
The raccoon began to growl as Lilly covered her head. "Sorry, I'm sorry you never bullied me, so please stop bullying me."
"ARRGGH!" Sky shouted and then went again to the pieces. "Please just go and look at the stack with the steps as I examine this one."
Confessional: Sky
The gymnast is frowning at the camera. "Ugh! I can't understand her. It's like balancing plates, but the plates cry every time you try to spin them. Why is she always scared of everything?"
Confessional: Lilly
"I don't understand what Sky has against me. I try to be polite, but she seems always stressed and obsessed with winning. She'll be more happy if she learns to relax a little." Said Lilly, twiddling her fingers and looking at the camera.
Chris watched on the monitors the 8 pairs of contestants. Six waiting and managing the parts of their constructions, and the last 2 already sailing through the lake.
"The surprises are already in positions." Said Chef, taking off a yellow safety helmet and putting on his chef hat.
"Of course!" said Chris smiling. "Only building and running is boring. Life needs a little spice. And also what kind of lake challenge doesn't have sharks."
Chef shrugged, "As you wish, but you'll have to pay me extra for this."
The Host rolled his eyes. "Of course. Do you have to repeat that every time I ask you something?"
"Yes, as long as you ask me something outside of my contract," said Chef folding his arms and glaring at him.
Chris shook his head. "Of course, don't worry. At the end of the season, you will receive all we owe you."
Chef nodded and left, leaving Chris. The handsome Host stood up and looked at the camera.
"And what surprises have we prepared for the competitors? Who will win the challenge, and who will send someone home? And will these wonderful cheap items we bought around the world do their job? Find out after the break here on Total Drama Tyranny of the masses."
Author Notes:
[1] More translations:
Suena bien = Literally sounds good, but in this context is equivalent to ok or seems right.
Lo se, Gracias = I know, thanks.
The challenge is on. Who will cross the lake first? Which team will have the best teamwork, and which one the worst? And what are the surprises Chris has prepared? Find out in the next episode of Total Drama Tyranny of the Masses.
A four-stage challenge, I think it could be fun to try something like 'Who can you trust' and also force some characters to interact with others that usually don´t have the chance. I hope you enjoyed it.
Immunity idols left: 3
D.A.M. Eliminations left: 4
Favorite Foxes: Alejandro, Brick, Cody, Courtney, Duncan, Heather, Sammy, Zoey.
Fan Ferrets: Amy, Beth, Dramaman, Lilly, Mike, Shawn, Sky, Topher
Eliminated: Cameron, Jasmine, Max, Lindsay, Dawn, Jay, Lightning, Charlotte.
As always, thanks for reading and I hope you like it.