Prepare for big events! Sorry this took so much longer than my previous chapters. It sometimes was tricky coming up with new ideas plus my offline life often took precedence. Once more reviews get responses, see who does and doesn't make the finals.
GlitchWarrior: There most definitely will be more to say for this chapter.
acosta perez jose ramiro: Sometimes being brief is for the best. Fun fact: last chapter was the very shortest of any that I've posted for this fic.
SideshowJazz1: Mike has my sympathy for what happened within his head during canon. You did in fact accidentally mention "vote" for this challenge in your Chapter 15 review with "As for the next vote, it would be very hard to take out Mal". Not sure why, but nothing we can do about that now.
Phenomenal Ultra Instinct: Yes, our multi-personality teen definitely needed the heart to heart chat our CIT had with him (hence Chapter 16's title). It helped ease his heartbreak over Zoey's elimination.
That British Guy: I'm sure you'll say differently for this one.
Sulina: She did make friends for sure, and not just Gwen or Scott.
Scottnyefan: You seem to have misspelled your name :P. Anyway, our CIT did in fact go back in time and isn't imagining it. No passing out involved.
ShadowJcreed: Better late than never! I also feel non-challenge chapters add some nice variety, which is why I did that with the last chapter. There is indeed going to be a double elimination here like in canon.
Harmony735: Glad you enjoyed the friendships formed. Duncan would never come back as an intern after blowing up Chris' hotel, though, which I'm sure neither would ever want. If the delinquent did try to win back our CIT after all that's happened, then he would fail miserably as she hates his guts and is quite happily dating Scott.
Resuming the story!
Final four time. I'm entering uncharted territory now. If today's winner is Scott or me, then things should be just fine. The important thing is that Mal loses. Only once have I ever got this far before. That was season 2, where I got eliminated in a 2-1-1 vote. Coincidentally, this also happened to the ginger in season 4. Even if one of us gets 4th place again, it won't be under the same circumstances as today's scavenger hunt challenge is a race to collect items and bring them back in time, with the last one to bring something back (or arrive empty-handed) automatically getting the boot unless they really upset Chris like Gwen did by using bear shit to "restore" color after accidentally smudging some old portrait of his that she had to collect. It revolted him so much that he vomited over the thing and angrily disqualified her right then and there. I hope nobody ends up repeating that mistake.
As I get out of bed, I see Lindsay is still asleep. Not sure whether to wake her up just yet. I'll get dressed first either way. Taking my clothes with me, I go to the communal bathrooms to change into those, and then bring my pajamas back to the cabin. Chef comes by a few minutes later with a box of croissants for breakfast. Thank god for something decent! I take one and promptly begin eating it. Much better than most of the losers' breakfasts. Scott comes by shortly afterwards and takes another for himself. He takes one bite and then holds it up in the air, toasting "To making the final four." after he swallows.
I smile as I repeat "To making the final four!" before we clink our croissants like drinks and resume eating them.
My cabinmate comes outside shortly afterwards. She takes a croissant for herself and chomps into it. Her smile clearly shows a liking for these. I can't argue with that. Once we finish a couple minutes later, I go get my toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss and clean my teeth in the communal bathroom. Here's hoping for a victory today. It did feel nice talking heart to heart with Mike last night as well as Scott and Lindsay. The multi-personality teen really needed it, especially given how heartbreaking it was for him that Zoey got voted off yesterday. It's also a good thing he'll play fair when in control and at least try to keep his demon from taking over today. I of course will do the same. In case Mal shows up later, I grab the tape recorder labeled "Fight It" from my bag and put that into one of my pockets once I get back to the cabin.
Something just occurred to me about the last two elimination ceremonies: while Chris gave out marshmallows after announcing my elimination there in the original timeline (as well as Alejandro's for the final six back then), the host gave them out as he declared people safe here. Our final six ceremony this time around was obviously affected by the marshmallow raid where he took the only five not stolen to the ceremony and I'm sure didn't want to risk letting anybody take them when out of his sight and not in his hands. Same goes for last night even though McLean knew nobody stole them again. Chances are he also was too concerned about that to repeat his "I declare someone out before I give marshmallows" approach. At least our host knows it was Mal and not the real Mike who stole them and pinned it on Sam. The gamer was a threat to his plans when figuring him out, so I understand why the evil persona did this, but it still was uncalled for and shouldn't have happened.
With that demon being exposed yesterday thanks to camera footage of the marshmallow ravaging, I'll admit it feels nice that I can more freely talk about him without risking my safety. However, I obviously didn't want him to win immunity again. I still am quite glad I survived the challenge regardless. Being in the bottom two was nerve-wracking. I admit in my original run-through I also felt worried when in the bottom two with our busty blonde after we lost the first challenge (and was grateful then to have survived it when she did a horrid job driving the team carriage), but that was nothing compared to last night when I was anxious about potentially finishing in the same place as before. Speaking of Lindsay, I'll admit I didn't originally expect her to get this far even if she wasn't the first eliminated in this timeline.
Last time around in the final five, I openly admitted after being declared the night's loser that I wanted Scott to win even if he refused to forgive me and give our relationship another chance after my idiotic chart. The ginger just bitterly snapped that he didn't care how I felt and was going to win for himself, not for me or anyone else, and that I should just get in the toilet. This exchange ended up getting cut from the episode. I meant it when I wished victory for him, and that also applies here if I don't make the finale. Going to the finals together would kick ass, though I'm obviously not planning to exploit his love for me this time around to have him let me win. Good thing I never followed through on such plans last time around.
If I get to the finals, then I will not stoop to Sky's level in season 6 where she took advantage of Dave's attraction to her (which she reciprocated even if she wouldn't admit it right away) by kissing him to convince him to help her in the final two. While they both royally screwed up before that by doing things they really shouldn't have (i.e. Dave should've listened more without stupidly interrupting her "but" or overreacting, Sky should've been more straight forward sooner on her intentions instead of giving mixed signals or false hope), I'm disgusted by her doing that and willingly cheating on Keith to get flirty with the guy before his elimination. It's ultimately for the best that they never became a couple. She can go fuck herself. As I mentioned before, infidelity is a sore spot for me after I was once cheated on, also watching this in those finals made me feel guilty at the same time for planning to use Scott's affections to my advantage. Good thing her finale opponent Shawn never did anything of the sort towards his girlfriend Jasmine when helping him there, even if it wasn't all smooth sailing for them. They on the other hand are a couple I wish the best for and I'm glad they were able to make amends after a couple rough patches.
Now that I think about the sixth season, Pahkitew Island, it intrigues me that all the changes to All-Stars here won't really affect how that one goes as none of the contestants from the first five seasons are seen, heard of, or even spoken about. The closest things to mentioning any of us were during its opening episode where one girl strongly resembling Snow White—whose name was Ella—said "I was a huge fan of Total Drama World Tour" in the confessional, obviously because of its musical aspects given her love for singing, and when Chris told viewers about the Camp Wawanakwa island sinking during this season's finale. Speaking of the island sinking, it's a shame we must end that way with a winner pulling a sword from the stone first causing the island to lose stability. Too bad I can't think of anything to tell any Pahkitew contestants watching this season without being suspicious. Chris hasn't even announced future seasons yet. Anyway, time to focus on today.
In the upcoming scavenger hunt, each of us must collect a different thing based on a treasure chest that we choose. The options are a yeti, a golden Chris statuette, a portrait of Chris, or a diamond. If only I could remember which chest had which choice.
"Good morning final four! Gather around the dock pronto-runio! It's crunch time, and by that, I mean you're about to get crunched." McLean announces through his speakerphone, chuckling at the end.
We then head down. Out of concern, Lindsay asks Mike "Feel any better this morning?"
"I do, though still really miss Zoey and wish she was still here." he answers.
"Understandable. Remember she's still rooting for you. Keep your chin up." she assures the multi-personality teen, which makes him smile.
"If you lose today, then kiss your chances of even going to the finals goodbye. I have no doubt there would be a 3-1 vote against you to get rid of Mal." Scott says to Mr. Multiple Personalities, who replies with "I still could win, though. Any of us could at this point. Don't forget that. Even so, I'm not letting Mal get victory; I'm winning it for myself instead of him."
"Fair enough. Just keep him out of control as much as you can." I comment.
"You know I will, and thanks again for the consolation last night." Mike tells me.
I respond with "Of course."
Good thing the main man is in control now. Right about at this point in the original timeline, Mal disguised himself to convince Zoey he was her beloved and "back in the driver's seat" ever since that boat race at the merge. What gave him away (at least to her) when she had doubts was saying "I'm the same Mike who gave you that bracelet last year", though hid this at first and replied "Yeah, I wasn't sure who you were sometimes, but now I know" in a way that could fit both scenarios.
She was shown to be quite angry in the confessional over that demon's tricks, telling its camera "Mike gave me a necklace, Mal, not a bracelet you weasel!" When he regained control of himself and asked her the next episode "Hey, where's the necklace I gave you?" as that necklace was absent, Pigtails was filled with so much joy that she happily kissed him on the lips right then and there, knowing her boyfriend was truly himself again. I can't blame her for that. How he conquered the evil persona is beyond me, but I'm proud of him regardless for doing so. Maybe he can defeat him here today when the demon doesn't have as much control.
Our host shows up not long afterwards in a boat and dressed as a pirate, greeting us with "Ahoy mateys! Argh. Come to me, faithful bird." as he hops onto the docks.
Chef then walks out in a parrot costume. I can't help chuckling at how ridiculous he looks, and neither can Lindsay. The guys smirk but aren't vocal about it. Hatchet snaps "Stop giggling!"
McLean assures the cook "Oh, come on; stop frowning. You look great and you know it! Hey, if you don't want to be here, then-" and pauses mid-sentence to see Chef driving the boat away, continuing with "That isn't what I was gonna say!"
This doesn't stop the cook from leaving. The blonde adds "Too late to stop him now."
Our host sighs as he walks towards us and comments "Sorry. It-it's just life is so hard without my cottage and staying in Chef's place only because he refused to have me live in the spa hotel when the teams hadn't merged yet. It sucks! Too bad that got blown up, and since I'm craving the comforts of home, I've come up with a special challenge. Your mission: to retrieve one of four valuable pieces of pirate loot stashed somewhere on the island."
Nice to know he didn't sneak into the hotels this time around. That would've been bad.
"Pfft. As if there's anything valuable around here." my boyfriend scoffs, but then blushes a bit as he glances towards me and adds "That is, other than myself and a certain lady standing next to me."
Since I of course am that "certain lady" he's referring to, I remark "Why thank you." with a smile.
"Oh, there's plenty if you know what you're looking for, and today it won't be companionship." McLean insists as he holds up one of his hands like a hook.
"Then what?" our busty blonde inquires.
"To determine who searches for what, each player will choose one of these four treasure chests. Argh, her-her! Mike, as the winner of the last challenge, you get to go first." Chris instructs.
Mr. Multiple Personalities then walks up to select a treasure chest. He screams in pain as a turtle inside bites his hand, then shakes the thing off him. The turtle lands in the water nearby. Pretty sure it was Mal in control last time as he growled at the thing to scare it off then, which somehow prompted the creature to make noises like a seal when running off. Our host informs him "Mike, you must bring me long-lost original golden Chris statuette."
"Any clue where I might find it?" the multi-personality teen questions, only to get a response of "If I knew, it wouldn't be long-lost now, would it?"
I go up next. A boxing glove on a spring pops up and smacks me in the face! It's beyond me how that all fit inside the chest. I yelp upon getting hit. Good thing it didn't give me a nosebleed. As I get back up, McLean says "Perfect! Courtney, you must bring me the McLean diamond which can be found on or near the abandoned pirate ship, which just happens to be guarded by Fang."
"Yeah, real nice." I sarcastically spat.
Lindsay goes next, and she yells out with pain upon getting shocked. "Excellent! Lindsay, you must bring me the yeti, but not the one you befriended last season."
The blonde sighs in disappointment, adding "If only it was the same yeti."
"Since the last one goes to me by default, you may as well just open it already." says Scott, probably trying to avoid pain from opening a chest.
"Nice try, but the choice isn't official until you see for yourself." Chris insists.
The ginger sighs before replying with "Should've guessed you'd say something like that." and reluctantly opening it.
A large amount of pepper is released and gets sprayed into his face. He sneezes as a result.
"Scott, you must go to the crumbling, life-threateningly dangerous wreck of my former cottage and bring back an intact portrait of moi." McLean instructs.
"That was a mansion and you know it!" I bark out of irritation.
"The important thing is that's where a portrait must be found." The host responds, then notes "Helpful hint: think fast and work even faster, because two of you are going home today!", holding up two of his fingers as he finishes that sentence.
Every contestant (including me) gasps even though I already knew this was part of the challenge. They truly seemed shocked by it. A certain blonde asks him "You mean there won't be a vote tonight?"
"Yeah, no; whoever comes back last—or worse, empty-handed—goes directly to the flush of shame. Whoever brings back their loot first wins a guaranteed spot in the finale AND gets to select which of the remaining two walks the plank into the big John tonight. All clear? On your mark-" the host states before stopping midsentence and sighing, then pulling out an airhorn as he continues with "Oh just go!", blowing the horn shortly afterwards.
Everybody scrambles for their loot. Sorry Mike, but you won't win again if I can help it and must go home in order to get rid of Mal. I'd even take Lindsay winning at this point to keep that evil persona out of the finals. It still of course would be ideal for Scott or me to get first place today. Hold on a moment; did the demon even find that statuette last time around? I sadly don't remember everything when re-watching the episode.
What I do know either way is that Zoey won the challenge and reluctantly took Mal to the finals with her (fully knowing who was in control) only for a chance of bringing her boyfriend back, thus sending Scott home in third place after my goth pal got disqualified for grossing Chris out with color "restoring" on a smudged portrait. The ginger also probably didn't have much (if any) luck collecting that diamond. Another thing I do recall is how Mal pretended to help with Fang in exchange for going to the finals together only to trick him. Very underhanded of the evil persona. Sure, both Scott and I could also be underhanded with others, but those instances didn't involve mutant sharks.
In any case, I make my way towards the pirate ship. Hard to believe I'm taking on Fang. Will I have an easier time with this mutant than my boyfriend did? I'll find out soon enough. Now to find that ship. It isn't easy to find. Getting that diamond from Fang once I do find it will be even harder. I spend about ten minutes looking for that before Chris announces "And Scott's first to reach his pirate loot zone; my beloved cottage. Treat her gently, Scott. Gently!", sounding sad once he erroneously mentions the word "cottage".
How many times does he need to be told that building was a MANSION and not a cottage!? It frankly is fucking ridiculous! On another note, it's nice that the ginger is getting closer to finding a portrait. If I can't get first, then hopefully Scott does. He could however take a while to find something intact within that mess. If Mr. Multiple Personalities can't stay in control, then could his inner demon interfere with my boyfriend and/or me? I sure hope not. One thing I regardless am grateful for is that he has more control of himself this time around without taking a giant boulder to the head.
Five minutes later, I finally find that ship. Took long enough! McLean informs everyone "And Courtney approaches her target; the heat is on! I hope my loud voice isn't getting Fang's attention!"
He obviously meant to attract the shark with that. I mutter "You did that on purpose!" in irritation.
"They're called loudspeakers, Ms. CIT, deal with it!" the host dismissively replies, having somehow heard me.
What an asshole. The shark then comes out from a bathroom shortly afterwards and grins evilly at me. I gulp in fear. Wanting as little trouble as possible, I tell Fang "All I want is the diamond. If you could just hand that to me or show me where it is, then I'll simply take it with me and leave."
He shows more of his teeth, revealing the diamond is on one of those. Is this for real!? Trying to make things easier, I ask "Could you please take that off your tooth?"
Fang shakes his head no and growls. So much for that plan. Can't blame Scott for fearing this mutant. I back away and try not to take my eyes off him in case of a sneak attack. Are there any good supplies to get it off the tooth? The ginger last time around found some rope, and he or Mal somehow found a knife along with a bucket full of fish to attract the shark. Where either of them got those is beyond me. Perhaps that fish bucket could've helped, but the demon accidentally-on-purpose let Fang take it and get out unharmed. Better go find something quick. As irksome as the thought is, I just might have to kill the shark in self-defense with a knife if left with no other choice.
A few minutes later while I'm looking for supplies, our host tells us "Lindsay is zeroing in on the yeti, but bringing him back might be a bit harder, especially when it's not the one she somehow made friends with during her guest appearance last season."
Not good. Even if her victory means Mal goes home, that would throw a monkey wrench into my plans for going to the finals with Scott. Hard to say which of us she'd take to the finale with the evil persona getting flushed, though. A rope appears not long afterwards. About time! I then tie a knot. It needs to be quite strong for something big like Fang. Looking further in the ship, I find a knife. Better keep that with me for any traps I set or (as a last resort) killing the shark. Where did those fish come from, though? I go down towards the bottom of the boat and hear some splashing.
Looks like an answer has been found! What I need is a bucket to collect that fish and preferably some bait. I don't have the time or patience to catch them by hand right now. If no bait is available, then I'll probably just hope for the best by scooping fish up with some bucket. OK, an empty bucket is at the bottom, and a few fish are in it along with some water. Not nearly as much as my boyfriend used for his trap in the original timeline, but it just might work. Time to test this out.
I go upstairs to find Fang resting on the deck. How can I get the diamond when he's like that? Last time around, the ginger unsuccessfully tried to subdue him by lassoing his snout, incorrectly thinking a technique he used on pigs could also work here. Fang simply tugged on the rope and sent the teen crashing into the boat. Here's hoping I have better luck. I take the bucket of fish up with me, and he smells it right away. Fang looks at my bucket with his eyes wide open. Since it's too late for me to set up any traps now, I offer "Care to give me the diamond in exchange for fish?"
The shark simply shakes his head. At least I didn't go crashing through the boat. Hold on, there's something else I just remembered: he has a certain fixation on getting Scott ever since the ginger accidentally took one of his teeth in season 4. Fang gladly agreed to help Lightning in a challenge after the jock offered "I'll take you to Scott" if he stopped biting his ass. Now I resent that narcissist even more. There obviously is no way I'm using my boyfriend as human sacrifice, but could a lookalike or cutout of him help at all?
Heading back downstairs, I look for a marker and cardboard and bring my bucket back with me. Maybe I'll just use wood if no cardboard can be found. Next thing I know, I get smacked in the face by a fish! I yelp as it hits me. A guy feeling says Mal threw that. My suspicions are confirmed when I turn to one direction and see him reaching into the river. He then pulls out another fish.
"Throwing fish at people, really Mal!?" I question while putting my bucket down. "Bad choice when you've got a treasure of your own to find."
"No luck finding that thing yet, so I thought if I can't secure that right now, then it would be fun to interfere with others getting their treasures." the demon replies and then tosses the fish in his hand towards me as he chuckles evilly.
By pure luck, I happen to catch it in my own hands just in time. I retort "Two can play at that game!" and then chuck it back at him.
The demon quickly dodges it and mocks "As if you could hope to easily hit someone athletic like me. Remember I can also easily get you out of the game like when I talked the Hamsters into flushing Alejandro and then convinced people to vote for Sam when he got too smart for his own good. Then again, all of you already know too much."
Somewhat taken aback, I raise an eyebrow and remark "Kudos for getting Al out, though I was pretty sure that Russian gymnast Svetlana was the athletic persona."
"She was until I erased her and inherited her abilities. Though I didn't get anything useful from wiping out the old man and thankfully got none of his back problems, I also now have the exploring skills of that Australian Indiana Jones wannabe." He explains.
No wonder he was so fast yesterday when running. I get closer and taunt "Good luck fighting the tough guy!", yanking his shirt off once I approach him.
Vito then surfaces. He flexes his muscles and proclaims "Vito is in the house! A boat isn't my ideal location, though."
Having this guy around is of course far better. I drop the shirt and collect my bucket as I go to find something to make a cutout of a certain ginger. Looking around, I find a marker in some closet. Let's hope the ink hasn't run out. I draw a small line on the closet's wall. OK, it works well enough. Too bad I don't see any cardboard around. Better go look elsewhere for that.
While heading upstairs, I hear evil laughing. Not good! Time to go faster. Mal can be seen close behind me with fish in his hands. He throws one at me as I reach the deck. The fish ends up hitting Fang, who growls at him. It was at this moment that Mal knew he fucked up. Mr. Shark angrily chases the screaming demon around the deck. How am I supposed to get my diamond now, though? Hold on; the evil persona somehow has been cornered. As Fang smiles evilly at him and shows his teeth, Mal decides to punch him in the jaw. It knocks out the tooth carrying out my diamond, which I run to collect. That unfortunately flies off the deck and lands in the water before I can reach it.
FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! Fang is writhing in pain on the ground. I guess someone used Vito's strength to his advantage. Wait, does that mean Mal also erased that personality and inherited his abilities? I sure hope not. Next thing I know, a confused voice asks aloud "When did I end up on this deck, and why does Fang seem to be in so much pain?"
What a relief! This is one of those times I'm very glad Mike has surfaced. I inform him "A certain evil thing unfortunately took over again, and so did Vito for a bit. Mal also punched the shark's jaw after being cornered after somehow getting super strong."
"I should've guessed." he replies. "Mal has been fighting with him inside my head lately."
His hair then drops back down as an evil voice adds "That's a battle Vito is bound to lose."
Come on! Too soon for this. However, the main man quickly takes back control and says aloud "No Mal; you are NOT winning again!" right before ripping his shirt off.
Vito resurfaces, stating "It sucks to have that evil guy around."
I nod in agreement. Next thing I know, the multi-personality teen is hitting himself. Is this part of the fight between three personas? It either way reminds me of how last season Mike fought Vito (along with presumably Chester, Manitoba, and Svetlana) to be in charge. Seeing that was quite a sight. The main man somehow took control despite his lack of a shirt. What an ordeal it was for him! This time around, I witness mixtures of grunts and other various sounds coming from Mal, Mike, and Vito before the demon seems to claim victory, laughing evilly once the self-brawl stops. Fang just stares in confusion and shrugs his shoulders before walking away, apparently satisfied with Mr. Multiple Personalities beating himself up in a way.
Hold on, one of the tapes Zoey recorded is still with me! I pull that out and play its message. The recorder goes "Mike, if you're listening to this and I'm no longer competing while you still are, then I urge you to beat what's been plaguing you. Do it for me. Fight your problem. Win the competition for us! I know the real you can still be found in there somewhere. Prove me right. Love always, Zoey."
"Too bad Michael can't hear-" Mal goes before getting cut off with a big gasp of air.
Right after that, a contradictory "Actually, I DID hear it; the whole thing!" comes from the main man, who then stops to catch his breath for a moment before telling me "Good thing that recording was available. It really helped. If there's anybody other than myself that I'll duke it out with Mal for, then it's Zoey Fulton, whether she's present or not."
"I'm proud of you for that, and she would be too." I reply while putting the recorder away in my pocket.
This happy moment unfortunately is a brief one since Mal subsequently takes back over and remarks "Somebody's quite dedicated. Love can really motivate a guy, but Mike underestimates me."
Chris then unexpectedly announces "While Mike has had no luck finding his treasure as he fights with Mal, Courtney's diamond has gone overseas, Lindsay can't quite seem to get ahold of the yeti, and Scott needs to stop tearing my portraits as he pulls them out from wreckage, even if those were accidents and a couple were caused by traps that Mal set! Hard to say who'll win at this point."
At least I'm not the only one struggling to accomplish my goal. Too bad my boyfriend had to fall for traps as he searched for an intact portrait. No shock that the demon would try to interfere with multiple contestants here like last time around. Mr. Evil then grins, stating "Nice to know the sucker took some bait." and then chuckling.
Glaring at him, I say "It frankly doesn't surprise me that you would set up such a thing."
"Don't think I'm predictable, CIT. The truth is-" he says only to get cut off by his own fist hitting him in the face and Vito interjecting with "Time for you to go away!"
Good thing the other remaining alt is fighting back. However, the evil persona then retorts "Don't make me erase you too, New Jersey trash!"
Mike then surfaces with "Your overconfidence in yourself will hurt you in the end!" as he and the other personalities get into another brawl.
I step backwards to avoid getting hit as he goes at it. The multi-personality teen's self-fight takes itself into a closet. It's filled with grunts and other noises of pain. Poor guy for having to resort to this. After a couple minutes, I hear a groan and a collapse. Did he pass out from the battle? Better go check on him. Looking into the closet, I see him lying silently and motionless on the ground with his eyes closed. I ask "Mike, can you hear me?" out of concern.
The multi-personality teen gives no response. I drag his body out from the closet. Talk about a bad sign. Shaking him into consciousness, I urge "Please wake up. Show me you're still in there."
Mr. Multiple Personalities groans a bit in pain and opens his eyes. After waking up, he tells me "That was one brutal fight from within. From now on, I'm all Mike, all the time."
My eyes open a bit in shock. If this means what I think it does, then it'll be quite welcome. I ask him "Does that mean Mal is gone?"
"It does. We'll never see or hear from him again. This time I know for absolute certain." He affirms with a smile. "As crazy as this might sound, when Mal was erasing Vito, I picked up on how he can wipe out personalities and used that on him while his back was turned. That process sadly isn't something I can put into words and it could only be done from the inside anyway. I still miss my other personas, even Vito the douche, and wish the others didn't have to go out the way they did. To get rid of the evil one, I did have to exert lots of energy and was already feeling weary from the physical fight, so I passed out for a bit afterwards."
"You sir are a hero for getting rid of the demon; great work!" I congratulate him. "Thank god he's gone. Sorry you had to first lose your internal friends. Crazy or not, I believe you."
"Thanks, and 'internal friends' seems like a fair description." Mike replies as he stands back up. "While I still have no idea where to find my treasure, I'm very grateful for all you did to help me out, and best of luck finding your diamond."
"Of course, and same wishes to you." I respond, and we shake hands before parting.
FUCK YES! It's quite a relief to have the real Mike fully in control and Mal gone. I do however truly feel sorry for his other personas. They didn't deserve to just get erased so viciously. Now I need to focus on somehow getting that diamond.
"This just in: After Vito got wiped out, Mike somehow learned how to erase Mal completely and has gotten rid of him! He seriously deserves major props for taking out that sleazy bastard. Well done, Mike! On another note, Lindsay has secured the yeti and thus is the first to find her loot, though is struggling to take it back with her. Will she be the first one back to the dock? It's still anybody's game. Everyone else should hurry up!" Our host then tells everybody through his speakerphones.
Uh-oh! That means time is running out. Walking downstairs, I sit down for a moment to think of ways I could get my treasure. I then see Fang popping out from the water carrying his missing tooth. The diamond can still be seen on it! He growls at me as I reach for that. Feeling bold, I snatch it from his hand and take off the diamond before handing back the tooth. I assure the shark "The only thing I want is this diamond. Seriously, you can keep all of your teeth!"
This unfortunately doesn't seem to help. He gives me a death glare. Even taking a tooth temporarily is enough to get on his bad side? Goes to further prove that one should never make enemies with a shark. I run as fast as I can back to base while Fang chases me and Chris informs everyone "Courtney has found the diamond again, and Fang is on her tail as she tries to get back to me! I guess he has a new enemy now. Can she make it back in one piece? Either way, the guys really need to find their treasures quick to avoid the big flush."
Time to find out. I sprint away from the boat and Fang. He isn't letting up. Only one thing could possibly slow him down now without giving up the diamond or getting chomped on; the recorder. That thing already served its purpose anyway, so I chuck it at the shark. It unsurprisingly gets destroyed upon impact. This makes him pause for a bit. Unfortunately, it doesn't last long, and he resumes chasing me after several seconds. If anything, that just made him angrier.
I don't dare stop. The important thing is either Scott or me getting back before anybody else does. Next thing I now, Chris says "The shark chase still continues as the yeti also gets closer. Against all odds, Mike somehow found his lost treasure at the bottom of the lake. Scott finally got a portrait out from the wreckage in one piece shortly afterwards! I didn't think anybody would look there. Now it's just a race to reach me first!"
The race truly is on. Fang seems to be slowing down, but still isn't giving up his chase. McLean can be seen in the distance after several minutes. I'm in the home stretch now! Even though my legs feel a bit sore from so much running, I keep going to secure victory and avoid becoming shark food. By this point, I can vaguely see a yeti with Lindsay. Not letting her win!
It takes a few more minutes, but I arrive in one piece with the diamond. "Kudos for getting that. Courtney wins!" Chris announces.
"Here I come, finale!" I joyfully proclaim as Lindsay shows up with her yeti.
"Second place is still better than last." she says.
"Quite true. Whichever guy shows up last is now automatically out of the game." McLean agrees.
Fang then catches up to me with an evil smile. The yeti growls at him and swiftly punches that shark away into the lake. That went better than expected. Maybe the blonde also managed to somehow befriend this furball. Either way, I'm stoked to be a finalist this season! Now hopefully Scott will show up next. Fingers crossed.
"How far away are they?" the yeti collector wonders aloud, with Chris and I shrugging our shoulders in response.
A couple minutes later, we see a soaking wet 17-year-old holding a gilded Chris making his way over and a filthy portrait-carrying ginger close by. Chances are that filth came from traps and/or the mansion remains collapsing on him. It regardless is a very close race between the two. Our host tells them "Gentlemen, whoever doesn't want to end up in the toilet better hurry it up!"
"We already know that!" both reply at the same time as they start running a bit faster.
The two come closer and closer. Both repeatedly shove their ways in front of one another. I do feel rather nervous. After a couple more minutes, the last one to reach us is…
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Mike!
He ended up tripping on his way over, allowing Scott to reach the host first. We all know what that means. I take a big sigh of relief.
"Scott secures third place for the challenge! Mike, I'm afraid this means you get the flush tonight for arriving last." the host announces.
"Hell yeah!" my boyfriend cheers while the newly-disqualified contestant sighs dejectedly and complains "Dammit; I was so close!"
I tell Mike "It was a respectable effort. I'll give you that. Also, making the final four at all still is an honor."
"Quite true." Lindsay agrees.
"Thanks. At least I found my treasure." he replies, presenting the gilded Chris to its namesake.
"I'll gladly take that." McLean adds as he grabs it from him. "May as well take your chance to dry off and get a new shirt on so you don't end up as wet or cold after going into the toilet."
The newly eliminated contestant gets up, shrugs his shoulders, and heads off to presumably do just that. Chris doesn't tend to be this considerate towards contestants. He knows the former multi-personality teen has been through quite a lot lately, though, so I guess the advice was out of his rare sympathy. In any case, I go into the hotel. How I missed this place! It's great to be back after so many losses.
Heading for the kitchen, I grab one of the sodas in the refrigerator and quickly guzzle that down. Very cold and refreshing. I look forward to having a dinner tonight that isn't burnt. There's an opened chocolate bar nearby. Grabbing it and sitting at the table, I take a bite and cherish the delightful taste. This was well needed. The doorbell can then be heard ringing as I'm about halfway through the bar. A still-filthy Scott is seen standing at the front door. He greets me with "Hi Court. Just wanted to say congrats on winning the challenge today. By the way, is there any chance you could sneak me some food from in there? I'm hungry and probably won't get the chance to eat until tonight."
With a smile on my face, I gratefully reply "Thank you Scott. If you must eat something, then take the rest of this chocolate I found. It's perfectly fine and chances are Chris would bust me for trying to give you much else right now. Try not to get caught with it, and please take the chance to clean yourself off soon. See you at the flushing tonight." and hand him my chocolate bar.
My boyfriend grins as he eats the bar and then walks away. I go back into the hotel. Having him spend the night here with me would make things even better, but Chris won't let that happen. Oh well. Maybe I could later bring some dinner out to him. Even if the ginger doesn't mind eating the subpar meals we've had so far, he deserves better than that. In the meantime, I go explore the basement just to see what it has. Looking downstairs, I see an old arcade game system. Is Chris secretly a gamer? Either way, the game system is unplugged, so I plug that into a wall to at least see what's playable on it. It turns out the system has Donkey Kong, Pac-Man, Dig Dug, and Space Invaders. Can't remember the last time I saw a retro compilation like this.
Just for the hell of it, I decide to play some of each to pass the time. This also will probably be my only opportunity to do so. While not nearly as avid about gaming as Sam is (and the machine in front of me is of course quite different from the console used to frame him with marshmallow ravaging), I do enjoy what the thing offers. Good thing no coins are required here since I have none on me. After gaming for a few hours (and sometimes getting really frustrated with those last ships in Space Invaders), I go back upstairs to check out other parts of the hotel.
The sun has already set by now and it's dark outside when I look out a window. Making my way to the camera room, I look through its DVD collection and try to locate "Mal's Greatest Hits", aka the incriminating disc Al collected last time around that Sam and Zoey couldn't seem to find in this timeline when in the hotel. I'm curious to see how the evil persona having less control affected the footage. Someone rings the doorbell before I can spot it. Oh well. Chris can be heard yelling "Everybody is required to attend the upcoming flush, so come outside ASAP!" from outside.
No point in making the host repeat himself or get mad at me now, so I head for the front door and meet him there. I notice that Scott has thankfully gotten clean since we last spoke. Lindsay can be seen giving Mike a comforting hug. She tells him "Mike, thanks for getting rid of Mal, even if Vito couldn't survive. We're quite proud of you for what you did today. All of us are. Sam and Zoey will be too or already are if they watched today's episode. While you may have come in last for the challenge, you also in a way had a big victory by wiping out the evil. Hope your head is OK."
Hearing how insightful she was right there is shocking and made my jaw drop a bit. I must tip my hat to her. The blonde orchestrated Duncan's elimination around and did take part in sending Mr. Burromuerto home this season. Sure, she still had airheaded moments mixed in since I started reliving All-Stars, but there's no question I've underestimated her potential and I never would've initially guessed she could get this far in the contest.
He smiles and thanks her with "I do appreciate that, Lindsay. It fortunately feels much better without him lurking around. However, fully getting used to how I'm the only persona now will probably take some time." as they release from the hug.
"I'm also glad he's gone. Good job on that. Our pal Sam didn't deserve to get targeted by that weasel." Scott congratulates while they share a fist bump.
"Me too, and he definitely didn't deserve to be framed." the flushee agrees.
Walking up closer, I add "Nice to compete with one another this season. Do take care, and hopefully the toilet doesn't take you anywhere bad." and extend one hand forward.
The two of us shake hands as he replies "It was good to be back. All I can say for sure is that the ride out will be filthy."
We both chuckle a bit and release from the handshake.
"Enough postponing; it's time for the departure!" Chris impatiently butts in and drags him to the giant porcelain.
The rest of us follow. Mike is placed in the toilet and tells us "So long everyone. While it sucks that I couldn't go further like Zoey and I both wanted, at least I now can be with her again."
"She'll still love how you went out a hero following today's events. Don't forget that!" Lindsay remarks.
"Fair point there." my boyfriend admits.
"It is." the former multi-personality teen agrees. "I'm sure to hear more on that later."
"Farewell Mike, and do you still plan on seeing a psychiatrist like you mentioned yesterday?" I question.
"Yes, I do." he affirms. "Even with all my alternate personalities gone for good, Mal still did lots of damage that needs to be sorted out. I'll need professional help for that."
"If everybody's done saying their goodbyes, then I'm going to flush." our host informs us as he presses the button.
Mike screams as he gets flushed.
"Who to flush next?" Chris then asks me. "It all comes down to who you want to battle in the finale: Scott or Lindsay?"
"I'm taking Scott to the finals with me. No offense to Lindsay, but it was an easy choice for obvious reasons." I answer, which unsurprisingly makes the former smile and the latter frown upon realizing she's now eliminated.
"None taken, and I fully expected this to become a couple's finale once Mike came in last earlier today. Getting third place out of fourteen is still an accomplishment." says the blonde, who then shakes hands with Scott and I while adding "Best of luck to you both in the finale".
She then heads over to the toilet. Chris inquires "You took that quite well. Do you have any last words?" after shoving her into it.
"Only this: As much as I wish I could've won it all, I'm really glad I made the top three and had my best season yet! Goodbye everyone." Lindsay tells us, and then screams while getting flushed away.
McLean subsequently turns to the camera and signs off the episode with "We have our finalists. Who will rule victorious in the toughest, roughest, million-dollar challenge ever? Tune in to find out next time on the season finale of Total. Drama. All-Stars!"
I'm sure you predicted my choice on who to take to the finals well before I announced it. Lindsay did and thankfully was quite understanding. No way am I kicking my boyfriend off when given any other choice! He and I walk off the docks with Chris. Once we're alone, the ginger excitedly tells me "I can't believe we're really going to the finale together! It totally kicks ass! Thanks again for the quick choice to keep me in the game."
In response, I tell him "Of course. I couldn't just cut you from the contest like that after all that's happened between us since you met me." and then we briefly exchange a loving kiss.
"If I can't sleep in the hotel tonight, then could you maybe stop by the cabin after dinner?" he asks.
I answer "Not a problem. Chris never said I couldn't visit there when I won today. I just probably couldn't bring you any meals from there. See you then."
The two of us part as he goes to the cabin and I make my way towards the hotel. Once inside, I go to one of the bedrooms and see my belongings already there. Thank you interns for bringing them here. I take out my law book and read that for about half an hour before I start smelling something from the kitchen. Smells good and I'm hungry anyway, so I go down to get whatever that is.
When I arrive, a piping hot steak can be found on a plate. No burn marks or anything! I promptly cut into it and begin eating. This is one damn good steak. It takes me about five minutes to eat the whole thing. Looking into the refrigerator, I grab a couple more sodas and take them with me to visit the ginger. They're still nice and cold. He has a big smile on his face when I arrive and hand him one. Scott drinks some and ponders aloud "What are the odds that we'd make the final two?"
"Beats me, but I'm glad we got there together." I reply, and then take a sip before telling him "Promise me tomorrow will be a fair game, though, and don't let our personal relationship get in the way of the challenge or vice versa."
I smile when he assures me "You have my word that it will be."
OK that's good. My past self might have wanted him to throw the finals for me in the original timeline, but I don't want that now. I'm not that selfish anymore and he deserves better anyway. Besides, we'll both leave with half a million no matter what when we agreed to split the money if either of us won and now that's a guarantee when we're the finalists.
After finishing our sodas, he seems to smirk a bit. I inquire "Why the smirk?" out of curiosity.
He flirtatiously answers with "Since it's just the two of us remaining now, I was just thinking about how we have more privacy. We could do certain things that no contestants would catch onto. I'm not talking anything R-rated because that would probably get us in trouble, but this does open some doors."
This intrigues me. At least he knows anything sexual is out of the question while on this show. Even if what follows gets his dick hard and/or my pussy wet, we are staying fully clothed tonight. I can't help grinning at what he might have in mind and teasingly tell him "Look me in the eyes when you tell me more, not at my boobs." as I notice his eyeballs are facing my chest.
"Sorry, but if you don't mind me saying, they're very nice to look at." Scott apologizes while somewhat blushing in embarrassment and confesses "To be honest, you also have a lovely ass which is well worth staring at."
"Relax; your gazes flatter me, and I was just messing around." I assure him with a giggle. "It's quite common for teenage males like yourself to stare at females in those ways, particularly when romantically and/or sexually attracted to them. Many girls stare at guys as well. Just don't let the wrong person catch you doing it at the wrong time. When we're already a couple, staring at one another isn't really a problem."
The ginger now seems calmer. Perhaps it's best for me not to mention I noticed him starting at my ass when the season began, and we were swimming to shore. He'd probably get even more embarrassed. Either way, the ginger gestures for me to follow him. We go towards the woods. Roughly ten minutes later, my boyfriend tells me "About those doors that are opened." and pulls me closer.
My excitement grows. I flirt back by urging "Do go on." with a wink.
"Something like this." He says right before crashing his lips onto mine.
Making out in the woods? No problem with that if our clothes stay on! We continue the kiss, and he slips in a bit of his tongue. French kissing is quite bold of him at this point in our relationship. Did Sam advise him to do that? I let some of my own tongue in to make clear I'm fine with it. He stops for a moment to catch his breath and asks "Wait, was that too much?"
"It admittedly took me by surprise, but no; you didn't go over the top." I answer. "Never thought you'd French kiss so soon. Very bold move of you. I'm not complaining, just didn't see it coming."
"OK good because I loved doing that and hope it can continue." Scott tells me.
"Most definitely." I affirm with a smile. "Just keep all your clothes on and don't pull any of mine off tonight no matter how tempting it gets to take them off. Too soon for undressing."
"Fair enough." he states, and then we resume French kissing.
I must admit he's pretty good at this, especially for a first-timer since it's hard to get much skill without experience. My heart starts beating faster than normal with how excited I feel. Since our chests are kind of pressed together, I can also somewhat feel his heartbeat in his chest. That is no normal heart rate. It's his adrenaline running. My hands caress his back side, and he does the same to mine. After several more minutes, we both pause to breathe.
"You sir are a natural!" I compliment with my heart pounding. "Good job on the self-restraint as well."
"Thanks. It's probably best we stopped here for now, or temptation could get the better of me and I'd cross a line that I shouldn't." he says.
"You're welcome, and at least you know your limits." I tell him. "Sorry to end things here for the night, but chances are Chris will get suspicious unless we go back to campus soon. Good luck for tomorrow."
"Same wishes to you." the ginger tells me.
It takes us about ten minutes to get back to the cabin. He heads back inside, and then I return to the hotel. That make-out was very nice! Since tomorrow is bound to be a big day, I probably should get some rest, but first need to clean off. I grab my pajamas and toiletries as I go to the bathroom and take a leisurely shower for about half an hour. That was well-needed after having to use subpar communal showers for so long. I then put my pajamas on and clean my teeth before heading for bed. The finale has almost arrived. As I climb into bed and drift to sleep, I hope to win it all. We'll see how that goes.
The big bad Mal is no more! Scott and Courtney got to make out! I'll probably have the finale up sometime in March 2019, but no promises.
Reason for eliminations: Mike couldn't possibly hope to survive without another victory given the Mal problem, even with the evil persona wiped out. Furthermore, it was only logical he gets last place in the challenge when he ends up choosing the hardest item to locate. Lindsay was an obvious boot after that because there's no way our time-traveler would pass up the chance to take her boyfriend to the finals with her when possible. Not at all easy for me to go through on as Lindsay and Mike are among my favorite Total Drama characters, but it had to be done. Sorry to anybody who hoped our busty blonde would go to the finale. I just couldn't think of a way for her to realistically make it there.
Elimination Order:
Sierra (14th place), Lightning (13th place), Jo (12th place), Duncan (11th place), Heather (10th place), Alejandro (9th place), Cameron (8th place), Gwen (7th place), Sam (6th place), Zoey (5th place), Mike (4th place), Lindsay (3rd place)
Finalists:
Courtney and Scott
Chapter posted: February 21, 2019.