"On the last episode of Total Drama Malibu..." Bridgette began the recap of the episode, standing next to Geoff on Paradise Cove Pier in the evening. There were still tourists about, some of them waving at the camera as they passed by. "We visited one of the classiest wedding chapels in Malibu, which we had for the day thanks to Geoff! First the teams had to dig out a wedding bouquet from a cube of ice, which both had plenty trouble doing. Lucien was a quick thinker though, and was able to pull through and win the first part for the Octopi! The second challenge was a slow dance for the ages, or it would have been if Monica didn't accidentally trip over Mike and fall over the balcony. She had to be medically removed from the game, and since Zoey and Brick danced worse than they did somehow, they also sent Jay home for being a weak link. Sorry kiddo. But who will take the fall now that both teams just had to cut someone? Find out right here, on Total, Drama, Reloaded!" Bridgette and Geoff both raised their arms with the name, along with some of the passerbys.
Intro Sequence:
Instead of the usual rock tune of I Wanna Be Famous, harsher electric guitar chords came in at A minor, along with harsher drum beats and synths. Cameras popped out of various places along a beach in Malibu, first a trash can, then from behind a lounge chair, then out of some sand. Before the lyrics came in, a film clapper appeared in front of the camera and began the scene.
Whatever happened to the young young lovers? One moved on and the other got lost in
After the scene began, the camera briefly showed a beautiful stretch of a Malibu beach, with a bustling street right behind it. Geoff and Bridgette were shown on a pier together, each of them raising an arm to let the camera zoom by them. Mike was a bit behind them, just watching the co-hosts with a blank expression.
Meds and shocks and tears in the street, tears on his knees, teary history
Vanessa and Zoey were further down the pier, playing a carnival throwing game together. Vanessa had a big smile on her face as she got a bullseye with a baseball, making Zoey sigh as she threw and missed her shot.
Whatever happened to the Nerd Herd? Still quite sane, but what about Shane? Took himself back to the drawing board, plotting for those he abhorred
Mitzy and Arin were playing some kind of laser game at a carnival stand, both of them having ice cream cones, with Shane trying to keep up with them in the game and fire at the aliens in it. Jo came running by down the pier though, and his face filled with malice.
An eye for an eye, a leg for a leg, a vote off the show doesn't go away
Going down from the pier and onto the beach itself, Monica was sitting on a beach chair with binoculars on her eyes, while Lucien was napping on a chair next to her. Jo passed by them both on her run, blatantly pushing Monica off her seat as she passed by.
Everyone has to go, but being booted by a kid stings a long long way
Anne Maria was trying to sunbathe on the beach in her swimsuit when Caleb passed by with a metal detector, getting a scornful look from her.
You wanna be famous? You wanna be famous? You wanna be famous? They go
Brick and Brava were playing volleyball together, although Brava jumped up and spike the ball right at Brick's face. The cadet rubbed his face, but tried to keep a smile albeit pained. The ball bounced towards Petunia, who was startled as it hit her in the back and made her spray them both.
Na na na, nanana na na
The skunk spray transitioned the scene to neon lights above several beach garlands on wooden posts at night. Mickey and Jay were sitting next to each other on folding chairs, already looking nervous before Geoff popped up between them to try and cheer them up. This made the twins run off, with Bridgette letting out a sigh as this happened. The scene then zoomed out to show the rest of the cast sitting in a half circle on folding chairs, all of them humming one last droning note while the title of the season was shown on the center garland.
After the intro, the episode began in the evening, with most of the contestants hanging out at the huts. They sat in a circle on folding chairs around a bonfire, with Geoff having left a cooler for them to grab from. "Pretty sweet that they just leave us snacks huh?" Zoey commented, holding a can of soda.
"Felix got us better last season, but this is good too." Shane replied, then took a sip of his cola.
"Oh right, Felix, I haven't met him yet, but he seemed nice! Maybe we could have been friends if I was there last season!" Zoey imagined, remembering what she had watched on TV.
Mickey was sitting near them, curled up and hugging his legs while sniffing. "Y-Yeah... friends. Those sure would be nice." Mickey commented between sniffs.
Shane right away faced him, reaching over and patting his shoulder. "You're still upset about Jay? Look, you can't un-eliminate him, but he wanted you to go on for him. The least you could do is put on a brave fact and carry on. I'll be here for you/" Shane tried to encourage him.
"Least I can do? I can barely do that! I'm all alone!" Mickey cried out, burying his face in his knees.
Zoey now reached over, feeling more guilty than Shane. "You aren't alone. You're on our team remember? I don't have much friends either, so I'll be your friend!" Zoey offered cheerfully.
Brick nodded in agreement with his arms crossed. "Well said soldier! We're a team, and we're always there for each other! That's the cadet code!" Brick added.
Brick and Zoey looked over at Anne Maria next, who just shrugged. "I ain't gonna tell ya to make friends. All but one of us hasta lose, just how it is." Anne Maria told Mickey, not all that interested.
"Agreed." Brava added, sitting just a bit further from the rest of the team while drinking her soda.
"Thanks guys..." Mickey thanked them all, still hugging his knees but now stifled his sniffing.
-Confessional: Gallant Gulls: Mickey-
Mickey wiped some tears from his eyes, straightening himself up on the seat. "I don't like my chances here without Jay, I don't even know how who voted him off! What if they're out to get me too? I might be next! I did make that deal with Anne Maria that she wouldn't vote me off, so maybe I can trust her? But Jay said not to make any alliances... why can't he just be here to tell me what to do?" Mickey let out a sigh, before slipping on the seat and falling in the toilet with a yelp.
-End Confessional-
Three of the Octopi were also hanging out at the bonfire, although hanging out was a loose term when Lucien was just napping his seat. Mike was moping at the moment, and Jo was just watching over the two of them. "Can you believe these two? I don't know how we're supposed to win a challenge with them and the Stan WannaLees over there." Jo complained, gesturing to them both with her thumbs.
"I just feel bad about Monica okay? It's such a shame she had to go like that." Mike told Jo dismally.
"And that wasn't your fault. The stupid stalker had to go and trip herself into keeping us at a numbers disadvantage. We won last challenge and we're still behind when we should be even!" Jo further complained.
Zoey looked shocked by Jo's complaints, gasping. "That seems a little tone deaf don't you think? She could have died from that fall and she's in a coma. I didn't get to know her very well, but I feel terrible for her..." Zoey reasoned.
"Easy to feel pity and put yourself on the high ground when it isn't affecting you. Ugh, none of you have your head in the game. Better for me I guess." Jo responded bitterly, slumping into her folding chair.
Mitzy and Arin walked up to the group hanging out, both giving waves to everyone before sitting down together in folding chairs. "Hi everyone! What's with the huddle?" Mitzy asked, closing her sketchpad and putting it in her pocket.
"Geoff and Bridgette said we'd be doing our challenge here, but neither of them have shown up, so I don't know what the hold up is." Shane answered, looking back to see if they were on their way.
Arin looked around as well, then just shrugged. "I didn't see anything out on my patrol, so maybe they're driving here? I can't think of what else would keep them either." Arin told them, then cracked open a soda can.
"Your patrol?" Mike asked, looking up from the sand.
Mitzy giggled, then gave a wave of dismissal. "Don't worry, that's just what Arin calls it when she tags along with me while I draw the scenery." Mitzy explained with a smile.
"And looking for bad guys! They could be anywhere, especially at a tourist spot like this!" Arin added with emphasis, spreading her arms out for a moment.
Jo facepalmed, and Mike chuckled a little. "You're both having fun nerding out over that stuff huh?" Mike commented, then took a sip of his soda.
"Mhmm! You should join us Mike! There's a lot of pretty stuff to look at on the beach, we could show you all the cool spots we found!" Mitzy offered excitedly.
"Maybe sometime, but that's not really my kind of thing." Mike replied, pretty much turning down the offer.
Mitzy didn't seem bothered, although Jo raised an eyebrow at this. "Ah, no worries Mike. I'll be able to keep Mitzy safe on her escapades anyways!" Arin told Mike confidently.
Mickey then raised a hand, still hugging his legs with the other. "Could I come along? If you're great at protecting like you say. Normally Jay and I look out for each other, but with him gone, maybe I hang out with you guys?" Mickey requested.
"Sure! We'd love to have another person along!" Mitzy of course accepted, giving him a thumbs up.
"Just don't talk team stuff. They might be trying to get info out of you on these walks." Shane warned Mickey quietly, leaning over to whisper.
"Got it..." Mickey whispered back, not liking the extra condition.
-Confessional: Oddball Octopi: Jo-
Jo tapped a finger on her chin, her other hand on her hip. "Mike doesn't feel like hanging out with the nerds? Pretty sure that he was all for that last season. Either he really lost his fun spirit after everything, or something fishy is going on. Whatever it is, I'm going to get to the bottom of it, because we do NOT need to lose more challenges over whatever it is!"
-End Confessional-
After a while longer though, Oliver and Flaky arrived on the scene, both of them looking plenty terrified. "G-Guys... you need to g-get out of there!" Flaky blubbered, shaking in fear.
"Oh great, what now? Is the challenge cancelled or something?" Shane asked them in a bothered tone.
Oliver shook his head, pulling out his phone. "Worse! The psycho killer with a chainsaw and a hook is now coming after the show again since we aren't on the island anymore. Since we film in a public place, he's coming for revenge and the location is compromised!" Oliver cried out, showing them the headline.
"Wait he threatened us just like that? Just call law enforcement soldier, they'll have this handled in no time!" Brick suggested, his eyes widening at the headline.
"The p-police don't want to h-help the show. Dale blacklisted our p-production. Geoff and B-Bridgette tried to e-explain we have n-new hosts but t-they wouldn't listen!" Flaky explained, then hugged Oliver while whimpering.
Zoey gasped, now looking around anxiously. "So there's an escaped psycho killer on the loose? And he wants us? What did we even do? He hates us and we didn't even meet him!" Zoey let out, standing up from her seat.
"It seems he wants to just get revenge on the show as a whole since Chris is in jail and Chef is AWOL right now." Ted chimed in, now pulling up to the sidewalk in a bus and opening the door.
Irene stepped out of the bus, ushering for everyone to get in. "It's not thafe out in the open like thith, so Geoff and Bridgette wanted uth to take you to the boardwalk where the beach thecurity watches, it'll be much thafer there until they catch thith guy. The situation is all under control right now, so leth go!" Irene instructed them all urgently.
Mickey was the first to rush on the bus, while everyone else just moved on hurriedly except for Lucien who just casually walked on. "This is gonna kill my sleep schedule..." he muttered to himself as he got on.
Mike sat down by himself at the back of the bus, looking out the window to see if anyone was coming towards them. Mitzy and Arin sat down together in front of him, the former much more worried than the latter. "I hope Bridgette and Geoff are okay, I feel like a psycho killer going for revenge would go after the guys in charge." Mitzy said hopefully, hugging herself.
Arin nodded in agreement. "That's why we'll protect them once we get there! If that Pink Panda is still in the area, I think they might be able to protect us all from this killer!" Arin added, sounding plenty confident.
"That Pink Panda? That's just a person." Anne Maria scoffed, filing her nails as the bus began to drive. "They ain't nothin' to a serial killer. Lemme tell ya, a 'hero' in PJs ain't gonna stop a crackhead back home in Brooklyn, ain't no way they have a chance against a real deal killa." Anne Maria argued, making Arin give her a look of contempt.
Brava just listened to them all silently, looking deep in thought. Mickey noticed this, sitting across from her in the aisle, so he reached over and poked her shoulder. "What are you thinking about? Do you know how we can stop this killer? Or better yet, a place to hide? I'm scared..." Mickey asked her desperately.
"I know how. Easiest way to deal with a killer is to kill them first. But none of you could do that." Brava answered bluntly.
Shane rolled his eyes, sitting behind her. "Right, assassin. Well what are you left with when you murder a murderer? Another murderer. Read a poem about that one." Shane told Brava sternly. This made Mike gasp though, but no one was in the back with him to see.
"Poem? What is thou referring to?" Ludwig asked, perking up at the word.
Shane nodded. "Just a small thing I read yeah. Point is that we can't kill the killer. Then we'd just be no better than them." Shane stated firmly.
Ludwig thought for a moment, before shrugging. "Thou mustn't forget to consider intention. A mere act of self defense is no ill will on our part. If there truly is a threat to our own lives, thou shall make haste in eliminating the- GAH!" Ludwig didn't get to finish as he gasped again, then fainted.
"Mike? Are you alright?" Mitzy asked, looking back at him.
"Probably just having another mental episode. I think he switched to the one that liked Shakespeare and the like, haven't been seeing him switch much lately, maybe it's draining?" Lucien theorized.
"Maybe him switching less means he's getting better? I sure hope so, after losing Monica, he might still be pretty shaken." Zoey guessed hopefully, looking back at Mike with worry.
Inside of Mike's mind, Ludwig now found himself plummeting down to the pink squishy surface of his conscious. "What? I hath not have had this happen in the past. What bringeth this?" Ludwig asked himself as he stood up and looked around.
"How did you get out?" Mal asked, standing right behind him.
Ludwig turned around, holding up both hands defensively. "Thou must be mistaken, what does thou mean? I heard mention of poems, that was the calling of thyself!" Ludwig told him, then pointed at himself.
"I know that. Who let you out of the cage though?" Mal asked a bit more harshly, pointing over at the cages he had trapped the other personalities in, including Mike.
Ludwig's cage was wide open, which when pointed out made him laugh a little. "It's funny thoust ask. But I have no answer. Thy own willpower to surface was stronger than the prison keeping me bound!" Ludwig answered theatrically.
"It's true!" Mike shouted, gripping the bars of his cage. "He just burst out! You can't keep us here forever!"
Mal glared at Mike, before his palm then began to glow bright teal. "I'll deal with you in a moment. But first." Mal told Mike, before slamming his fist into Ludwig's chest.
Ludwig didn't see the sucker punch coming at all, taking the blow and falling back. He sat up, then screamed as his very being began to flicker. He was fading away. "HUH? What hast caused such rash action upon thyself!? Thou can't do this!" Ludwig cried out.
"I need an example. You annoyed me anyway. Besides, I remember Mike having a problem with all of you? That Dawn kid showed me an easy way to fix you little pests. Sayonaro, c'est la vie, however you want to put it in your theatrical drabble." Mal explained, then walked away from Ludwig to head to the other personalities still in their cages.
Ludwig screamed in pain as Mal walked away, the rest of the personalities looking away as he faded away. "Now for the rest of you. Let what just happened be a reminder of the power I now wield. I can wipe out any of you, including Mike." Mal informed them, before snapping his fingers and making the cages disappear.
Svetlana cowered in fear, covering her head. "You can't do that! Who will perform Mike's incredible feats with me gone?" Svetlana protested.
"You're not done yet. Just sit tight for the rest of the season, and after Mike wins, you all go free. I'll have fulfilled my purpose. As I said last time, I'll call if you're needed, otherwise don't try anything stupid." Mal ordered.
"Ay yo, how's Anne Maria doin'? You're cuttin' off her time with the Vito you know!" Vito asked angrily.
"Her time 'with the Vito' is nothing compared to a million dollars for Mike. For all of us. Can you get behind that?" Mal reminded him sternly.
"Bloke makes a good point for once laddie, we might have to let 'em just take control." Manitoba told the others, agreeing with Mal.
Chester just laid down on the surface, groaning as he looked up. "Bah humbug, I don't care who's in charge! Just quit yankin' us around!" Chester complained.
"Wait you can't be serious guys!" Mike protested, shocked the others agreed with Mal. "He's ruining everything for us! We'll have the million dollars, but we won't have anyone that likes us by the time he's done! We'll... we'll be like Caleb!" Mike argued.
"He is still a millionaire." Svetlana reminded Mike.
"Sounds like your own personalities can listen to reason. Good." Mal told Mike, thinking for a moment.
Mike sighed, now looking more defeated. "I can't even get my own mind to side with me! Maybe Vanessa was right..." Mike conceded.
"HEY! Don't you dare agree with her!" Mal yelled at Mike, kneeling down in front of him. "I'm still on your side, get that through your mind."
"No you aren't. We're still going to stop you. Just you watch." Mike still didn't take his sympathy, glaring at Mal.
"Who's we yo?" Vito asked in confusion.
Mal sighed, then snapped his fingers, warping away the rest of the personalities. "No no no, you didn't just get rid of them too!?" Mike let out, alarmed to see them all disappear.
Mal shook his head, then snapped his fingers again, causing a massive boulder appear, which Mike was now handcuffed to. "You said that you'd all stop me. Then you won't ever get all of them. This should stop that willpower of yours that Ludwig mentioned. Later pal." Mal told Mike, before flying up and disappearing.
Mike tried to pull himself away from the boulder, but the handcuffs kept him in place. "No! You've gotta be kidding me!" Mike let out, unable to find a way to release himself.
The bus pulled up to Santa Monica Pier after a while, dropping off the 11 players. Bridgette and Geoff were waiting for them at the pier, both looking extremely worried. "Dudes! You're alive!" Geoff called to them relieved.
"You expected us to get killed on the way here? Okay Chris." Lucien remarked, letting out a yawn afterward.
"No, we're just relieved to see that you're okay. The last thing we'd want is for any of you to get hurt." Bridgette told them, somewhat offended.
Mitzy looked around the pier, seeing that there wasn't that many tourists around. "I guess it dies down here in the evening?" Mitzy wondered.
Geoff nodded his head, then gestured to a restaurant just next to the pier. "There's a Bubba Gump's here that gets a rush in the evening a bunch of the stores here close, so you only get the regular dudes that stick around here. Makes it easier to shoot here at night!" Geoff answered, then pointing to the fishermen that still remained.
"So what's our challenge then? Or are we just going to wait till tomorrow because of the situation with the killer guy? Because I could use a nap." Lucien asked, letting out a yawn.
"You napped the whole way here narcobrain." Jo reminded Lucien, giving him an annoyed look.
"I said I could, not need." Lucien responded dully.
Elroy walked up to the two hosts after that, carrying two fishing rods. "Got the fishing rods boss!" Elroy told them excitedly.
Each host took one, giving Elroy a thumbs up before he hurried off. "One of the most popular things to do on the Santa Monica pier besides riding the rides is fishing! It's one of the more clean spots for SoCal fishing thankfully. You'll find one of the locals at the very end of the pier fishing, he'll teach you how to cast your rod as well as explain the rest of the challenge!" Bridgette explained, using her fishing rod to point to the end of the pier.
"What will you be doing? I thought you would explain how the rest of the challenge would go." Zoey asked, a little bit confused.
Geoff pointed with his thumb to the gate that divided the restaurants and the rest of the pier. "We have some security things to take care of dudes. Better if we stay away from you guys too, this dude is out for revenge against us, not you." Geoff stated, somewhat weary.
"Don't worry, the interns are closing off the pier right now, and Brody is getting the police on his own as we speak. This all should be settled before the challenge is even over. We'll be safe, and so will you." Bridgette assured the teams with a smile.
"Wish I could be that calm about this Bridge, I saw too many horror movies with Duncan, this whole thing's got me freakin' out!" Geoff remarked, laughing a little.
Brick got a bit uneasy as well, seeing how dark things were getting. "So we can get going now right? I mean, not that I mind, just doing challenges in the dark really isn't my strong suit." Brick asked nervously, watching the sun dip below the horizon.
Bridgette nodded, before her and Geoff began to walk away. "We'll be in the security office watching everything, Oliver will let us know when you're done with your challenge, so go ahead." Bridgette instructed as they left.
Brava raised an eyebrow at this, before turning to head down the pier. "Let's hurry. Better to start fishing first." Brava told the rest of the Gulls seriously.
-Confessional: Gallant Gulls: Brava-
Brava had a mix of confusion and seriousness on her face, scratching her chin with one hand. "Hmm... no known assassins to my network were operating around this area. Normally a killer like this would be dealt with as soon as they make it out of prison, just to make sure they don't talk. If I am to believe what information is being fed to us, then this killer is above even my class... this is the challenge isn't it?"
-End Confessional-
The teams made their way down the mostly empty pier. The vendors had already closed up shop, so nothing stopped the teams for shopping. "Have any of you ever gone fishing before? It might be helpful if someone has experience. There weren't any fishing spots near where I lived, so I haven't yet." Zoey asked the rest of her team as they walked.
"Well..." Mickey began, letting out a sigh. "Jay and I went fishing at my grandpa's lake cabin, we were quite the catch..." Mickey stated sadly.
"Oh you actually caught somethin'? Better than I expected shrimp." Anne Maria remarked, slightly impressed.
"No... the fish caught us. It took both of us to pull the fishing rod back, but then the trout pulled us both overboard the canoe." Mickey explained, looking down at the boardwalk in shame for a moment.
"That sounds more accurate." Shane commented, with Anne Maria hiding her laughter.
Both teams kept walking until they reached the end of the pier, upon which Mitzy let out a scream right away. "OH MY GOD! HE'S DEAD!" Mitzy screamed, seeing a lifeless body of a fisherman laying on the wooden planks. He was clad in a green raincoat, pants, boots, and hat, with a large black beard.
Brick screamed as well when he saw the body, before crossing his arms quickly. "That was uh... just a reaction! Are you sure he's dead?" Brick asked, refusing to get close to the body.
Mike knelt down in front of Pascal's body, before just shrugging. "Looks pretty dead to me. I think he's been like this for a while?" Mike guessed.
Jo pinched her nose, nearly gagging. "You're telling me. With the smell of sea salt in the air and now this thing? Might as well stick us in a sulfur chamber, that'd smell better than this crap." Jo complained.
"Guys!? You know what this means right?! We've gotta let Geoff and Bridgette know!" Mitzy cried out, now also backing away from Pascal.
Brava shook her head, not phased at all. "No. This is the challenge. That's a fake body. This is all too set up to be real." Brava stated firmly.
Lucien knelt in front of the body and opened up the coat, which revealed a huge gash through Pascal's torso, with blood leaking out. "This is real blood. Yeah he's dead. I'm done." Lucien told the others, quickly standing back up and stepping away from the body.
"Y-You mean this is real? What if the killer got him?" Zoey theorized, her eyes widening.
"Then that would mean he's already here!" Arin declared, putting two and two together.
Anne Maria shook a can and sprayed her hair, albeit much faster than usual. "If I'm gonna be murdered, I ain't lookin' any less than a ten then!" she shouted as she frantically sprayed.
"I'll go get Geoff and Bridgette! We can't let the killer get to them!" Mike told the others, before running off.
"The 'killer' is probably one of them. Have fun with that." Shane replied, not caring much about the dire situation.
Brick watched Mike leave, looking conflicted about it. "While he does that, remember, do NOT break the cadet code! No man left behind! The moment we start splitting off and hiding, that's when the killer gets us! Stay strong men!.. and women! Stay strong!" Brick ordered, putting on a brave face.
Mickey had already peed his pants, hugging Brick's arm. "I'll t-try!" Mickey stammered in fear.
-Confessional: Oddball Octopi: Mike-
Mal rubbed his hands together, snickering to himself. "That Brava sure knows how to call the hosts' bluff huh? I like it. But I took the lead here. This is going to be a last man standing challenge, and while I leave them all to get picked off, I was the hero just trying to warn the hosts. If I get caught immediately? I didn't know it was a challenge. Besides, after Monica left? No one will be targeting 'Mike' for a while."
-End Confessional-
As Mike ran down the boardwalk, he looked for potential hiding spots, mostly eyeing the vendor stands and the amusement rides. "Ugh, everything is so open here. I'd almost be better off actually finding those hosts..." Mike muttered to himself as he ran.
His expression quickly changed when a figure stepped out from behind a hot dog vendor stand though, brandishing a noose with one hand, and his signature hook with the other. "Mike Mike Mike... bad choice to leave your friends behind, if they even are your friends..." the killer spoke with a gravelly voice as he approached Mike.
"Heh, I don't need friends. You can run to yours when we're done." Mike responded coldly, glaring at the killer.
The black hooded killer paused for a second, before just continuing to approach. "So that's how it's going to be? Fine, easier for me..." Mike said with a smirk.
Over at the end of the pier, everyone else was waiting just a bit away from the fisherman corpse to see if Mike or the hosts was going to come get them. Instead, the loudspeakers that normally played music on the pier switched to the same gravelly voice of the killer. "Fools. All of you. Your friend Mike went and got himself killed, the rest of you are next. Each one of you will meet the end of my hook, mark my words. I can see where you all are, right at the end of the pier. I wouldn't stick around if you want to live." the killer warned all of them, before turning off the loudspeaker.
"Mike!? No! He can't be dead!" Zoey cried out, horrified to hear this.
"We have to move out then! This is a bigger threat than we imagined, he's coming for us!" Brick let out, his voice now shaky as he pointed to his left, towards the amusement rides.
Shane raised an eyebrow at Brick's choice of direction. "The rides? I know we have to get out of here, but why there? We should just get off the pier as fast as possible." Shane advised, pointing the direction they came.
"What if the killer is heading that way to us though? We might just have to sneak around so he doesn't see us. If he sees me, I can't outrun a killer..." Mickey chimed in, hugging Brick's arm.
"And what if he anticipates that? This is a smart guy we're dealing with here. I'm going straight back the way they came, odds are the killer is sneaking around. Come on team." Shane gestured for the others to follow him as he began to walk back up the boardwalk.
Anne Maria followed, and Zoey was as well, looking more troubled. "Doesn't this go against the cadet code Brick was talking about?" Zoey asked Shane.
"Are you a cadet?" Shane asked her back.
"No..." Zoey mumbled, dropping the topic after that.
Brick watched the three of them leave with a heavy sigh. "They're a group of 3, we should be able to reconvene with them. Better the killer runs into us than them. Right Brava?" Brick commented hopefully.
"I could do it alone. Your assistance would be nice though." Brava responded.
Mickey sighed with relief, just following Brick and Brava as they took the other route down the boardwalk through the amusement section. "I'll just umm... cheer you guys on if he shows up." Mickey said, unsure of how else to help.
Jo watched both groups leave, then looked to her own team. "So it's just me, No-Might, Etch a Sketch, and... wait, where's Snorlax?" Jo asked, doing a quick headcount.
"Over here. Catching a nap." Lucien spoke up, laying down on a bench against the pier railing.
"Lucien! We need to get out of here! You'll be napping forever if he catches you!" Mitzy shouted, looking the direction they came worriedly.
Lucien let out a yawn, then got up. "Ugh... fine. Figured he wouldn't come back here after telling us to leave. Doesn't seem like a solid plan." Lucien stated as he got off the bench.
"A proper villain always carries out their word, now move it!" Arin urged him, before jogging ahead with Mitzy.
Lucien soon caught up to them, while Jo jogged alongside him. "You better not have cost us too much time just napping, but at least we got someone we can outrun." Jo remarked.
"How morbid. Gingers have more soul than comments like that." Lucien replied, not finding the joke funny.
Right after that though, a noose was flung over Lucien's neck from behind. "Bingo. Snooze you lose." the killer remarked in his gravelly voice.
Lucien let out a strained cough as he was yanked back, while Arin and Jo looked back in horror to see him being choked out. "We have to save him!" Arin shouted, stopping.
Jo grabbed her arm though, continuing to run. "Oh no you don't! Dunkin donuts ain't beating lector!" Jo yelled as she kept Arin going.
"Why did this have to be real!?" Mitzy cried out, running as fast as she could.
-Confessional: Oddball Octopi: Mitzy-
Mitzy was on the verge of sobbing, hugging herself. "I didn't think things would fall apart without Chris this fast! Maybe if he was here, the killer would know they wouldn't stand a chance trying to attack his cast. Not that Geoff and Bridgette don't care, but Chris is insane enough to scare people away like this! Oh Lucien..."
-End Confessional-
Shane, Zoey, and Anne Maria were running together, only faintly hearing some of the commotion behind them. "They're getting the Octopi..." Zoey commented with dread, refusing to look back.
"Better them than us. Just keep thinking rationally. If the killer isn't far behind us, we need to find a hiding spot and let them pass by." Shane told Zoey, keeping calm.
"Right." Zoey just agreed, not wanting to dwell on the deaths of her competitors.
Anne Maria pointed ahead, right at one of the vendor stands selling a bunch of flip flops and plushies. "The door is open on that one, ain't a better hiding spot than that!" Anne Maria told them, stopping in front of it.
"The others are probably locked, so this is our best bet. Hide Zoey!" Shane agreed, before ducking behind the counter.
Zoey looked at the stand to try and find a good spot, seeing Shane take the register while Anne Maria dove into a trash can. She instead scampered behind the plush vendor, sitting down behind the stand entirely. "Please pass by, please pass by..." Zoey whispered to herself as she crossed her fingers.
Jo, Mitzy, and Arin all ran by the vendor stand, and the killer wasn't too far behind, although he stopped and sniffed the air when he passed by the stand. "Perfume... bad perfume at that..." the killer muttered as he picked up the smell.
"SHE'S IN THE TRASH CAN!" Shane yelled as he hopped up from the counter, realizing their spot was already ruined.
Shane tried to run off, but the killer chucked his hook at Shane, stabbing him in the back and making him fall to the wooden planks. "I'll deal with rats first." the killer stated, pulling his hook out of Shane's back and now pulling out a knife.
Anne Maria began to climb out of the trash can and Zoey remained in place, and neither looked as they heard Shane scream, followed by nothing. The killer turned to Anne Maria next, who was now booking it the other way. "Stand back weirdo! You ain't layin' a fingah on me!" Anne Maria yelled, brandishing her hairspray.
The killer approached and Anne Maria of course sprayed him in the face, but the killer just raised his hood a little bit to reveal a skull mask. He then just smacked the hairspray out of Anne Maria's hand. "That stuff stinks." the killer just told her, leaving Anne Maria dumbfounded.
Zoey heard another scream, this time Anne Maria's, followed by the clanking of her spray can hitting the wooden planks. Zoey stood up to run, although as soon as she took off, her feet running down the boardwalk made loud enough wood thumps for the killer to hear. "Nononono..." Zoey panic whispered as she sprinted.
The killer was right behind her soon enough, able to keep up with her just fine. "Why are you trying to kill us!? We didn't get you arrested!" Zoey shouted, begging for reason.
The killer didn't respond though, just getting closer and closer with each step. "Just leave us alone please!" Zoey screamed, unable to think of anything else to say.
That was until Brick sidelined the killer and tackled him to the ground from the side. "Brick!? You came!?" Zoey let out in both shock and relief.
"I just couldn't leave a man behind! Where are the others?" Brick asked Zoey, holding the killer down.
Zoey stayed quiet, and Brick got the message. He opened his mouth to say something else, but the killer jabbed him in the neck with something, knocking him out. Before Zoey could even turn around, the killer flung his hook at her as well, catching her torso and making her scream as she hit the wooden planks.
-Confessional: Gallant Gulls: Brava-
Brava facepalmed, shaking her head. "I thought I could count on Brick as a reliable teammate, but he just had to go and save our less useful teammates. Except he probably failed and now he's out too. We're supposed to just get away, that's the point of all this. There's no real threat. If I have to ditch Mickey and just win this myself, I will."
-End Confessional-
Brava and Mickey were hurrying through the amusement section of the boardwalk, heading for the side exit that led down to the beach rather than the one that led out into the street. "The main entrance was gated off, this is our best course." Brava stated to Mickey.
"Shouldn't we wait for Brick? He said he'd be right back." Mickey questioned Brava.
"He isn't coming back." Brava stated bluntly and kept jogging.
Mickey gulped, his eyes widening further in fear. "Is it j-just the two of us?" Mickey asked nervously.
"Maybe. Doesn't matter. This is just a challenge, now keep running." Brava ignored his fear entirely and just kept running.
Thanks to their talking though and Brick, the killer just went in the direction he came from and was soon tailing them. "So much for sneaking..." Brava muttered to herself.
"He's gaining on us!" Mickey screamed, looking back and seeing how fast the killer was running towards them.
"Buy me some time then. Only one of needs to be the last one standing." Brava ordered without hestitation.
Mickey was astounded by this request, shaking his head right away. "N-No way! I'll die!" Mickey cried out.
"I wasn't asking." Brava told him, then just flicked his forehead. This alone made Mickey tumble backward, falling on his rear and allowed Brava to just leave him behind.
"BRAVAAAAA!" Mickey screamed as he scrambled to his feet, but his waning scream was all she heard before another slash came and cut him off.
Brava reached the gate that led to the stairs that went down to the beach, and she right away hopped over said gate to hurry down the stairs. "Later." she said to the killer as he leaned over the railing to catch a glimpse of her heading down. The killer pounded his fist on the railing, before just heading the other way to find the others.
Mitzy, Jo, and Arin reached the front gate of the pier, which had now been fully set up to keep everything out. "Oh no! How are we supposed to get past this? I think the interns have the keys for it!" Mitzy let out, putting both hands on her cheeks.
"Either of you nerds know how to pick a lock?" Jo asked them, seeing the lock on the gate.
"Heroes know not such criminal actions! It would be unfitting!" Arin declared.
"I don't know either." Mitzy added.
Jo facepalmed, then kicked the gate. It only wiggled a little though, and Jo had to clutch her foot in pain from kicking the steel gate. "Ugh, brute force won't do it, and you nerds don't know anything useful. Damn it..." Jo muttered, clenching both fists.
Mitzy looked around the area, trying to spot the security office. "Maybe the security office has the keys! Geoff and Bridgette might be dead... but we could get out of here with those!" Mitzy suggested, dreading the thought of seeing their bodies.
Jo glared at Mitzy, then pointed on the other side of the gate, where the security building sat next to the police station. "Don't you get it!? This murderer planned out this revenge for forever, like they'd just give us an easy out! I didn't even get my stupid million dollars, and Caleb did! This is so unfair!" Jo complained, kicking the gate again out of frustation.
"And I might never get to finish my comic series, but I'm not giving up hope! There's gotta be a way out of this!" Mitzy rebutted, still keeping hope.
"Uhh guys. He's right behind us." Arin pointed out, looking down the pier to see the killer sprinting towards them.
Jo looked up, then at the killer, then back up. "Gayola, get on my shoulders." Jo ordered, changing her attitude.
"Huh?" Mitzy asked, already knowing Jo was referring to her.
"NOW!" Jo yelled, crouching down a bit.
Mitzy climbed onto Jo's back, and the jockette then hoisted her over the gate. It was only about 12 feet tall, so with Jo's boost, Mitzy was able to climb over, then climb down the other side. "Your turn captain calorie!" Jo now directed Arin.
Arin was hesitant though, clenching her fists. "A hero doesn't back down from a fight, a hero saves people! I can't just run!" Arin protested.
"I wasn't asking!" Jo replied, then hoisted up Arin herself, being a little tougher than Mitzy. She was still able to get Arin high enough to where she could climb over, although she ended up tumbling over and fell down to the other side next to Mitzy.
Mitzy helped Arin up, growing more fearful as the killer was now coming up close. "What about you Jo!?" Mitzy blurted out.
"I'll be fine, I don't lose fights! Just get out of here!" Jo demanded, to which Mitzy nodded and hurried away with Arin.
Jo now turned around and faced the killer, clenching her fists as she looked him dead on. "You think I'm scared of you!? I've seen scarier dudes at the gym!" Jo challenged the killer.
The killer flung his hook at Jo, which she leaned out of the way of in time and let it hit the gate behind her. "Saw that one before!" Jo taunted him.
Jo then threw a punch, hitting the killer in the gut. The killer stumbled back, then whipped his noose at Jo. "Also saw that one, get some new tricks, or is that all you one note villains can do?" Jo remarked, catching the noose and just tossing it aside.
The killer then pulled out a gun.
-Confessional: Oddball Octopi: Jo-
Jo slammed a fist against the wall, incredibly frustrated. "Guns are cheating in fights, you know that? Only a coward who can't win fights on his own uses guns! So who's really the victim here? I never lose fights, and this wasn't a fight!"
-End Confessional-
Mitzy and Arin ran onto Ocean Avenue from the pier, seeing that there were some actual people now out and about. They all heard a gunshot, which made some go into a panic right away. "Someone call 911! There's a killer on the pier! He's already killed like 10 people!" Mitzy cried out desperately.
Arin saw the bus that took them there, running over to it. "There's the bus, we can get out of here!" Arin exclaimed.
The two ran over to the bus, where they reconvened with Brava. "Brava! You're alive!" Mitzy let out, relieved to at least see her.
"Why wouldn't I be." Brava replied, still unphased.
"Oh yeah, assassin, you're used to this..." Arin mumbled.
Bridgette and Geoff then stepped out of the bus to their surprise, well, just the nerds, Brava wasn't surprised at all. "Congrats, you all survived today's challenge!" Geoff announced to them gleefully.
The Octopi girls were still reeling from this revelation, while Brava just rolled her eyes. "There isn't anyone else coming is there?" Bridgette asked them, seeing how baffled they were.
"T-They died... right in front of us!" Mitzy let out, still not getting it.
"Nah, that's where you're wrong." the gravelly voice came from behind them, making the three girls all look towards the killer.
The killer lowered his hood, then took off his mask, revealing a familiar green mohawk and juvenile face. "Duncan!? From the other seasons?" Arin let out, shocked to see him.
Geoff nodded, walking over and patting Duncan on the shoulder. "Yup! We were watching a scary movie before the show and we thought it'd be fun to stage something like this! No one was in any danger, just giving you all a scare!" Geoff explained.
"All my idea dude. Remember when Chris tried this and they actually let a killer onto the island? Guess you got him beat there my man." Duncan stated, then fist bumped Geoff.
"B-But... but how? You killed them!" Arin blurted out, just as dumbfounded as Mitzy.
Duncan shook his head, then pulled out a vial from the pocket of his cloak. "Sedatives. That little kid that works for the show whipped these up and coated the hook with the stuff. Plus gave me some extra in case I needed it like with Brick." Duncan elaborated, then tossed the vial to Bridgette.
"Everyone will probably be knocked out for a little bit, but the Gulls will for sure be awake in time for their elimination ceremony." Bridgette added, now surprising Brava.
"What? But I made it here first and got away from the killer." Brava pointed out.
Mike was now waking up as she asked this, already laying down in the bus. "Ugh... is it over?" Mike asked, groaning as he sat up.
"Yup! We won!" Mitzy answered, her mood now changed.
Bridgette nodded to confirm. "The Octopi only lost 3 of their members, and had 2 survivors. The Gulls lost 5 of their members and only had 1 survivor. The victory is pretty clear here." Bridgette explained how they won, making Brava curse under her breath.
Geoff now focused on Brava as well. "So yeah, when the rest of your team wakes up brah, just let them know to come to the bus so we can head back to the beach!" Geoff instructed, with the interns now stepping aboard as well.
-Confessional: Gallant Gulls: Brava-
Brava facepalmed, sulking in her seat. "Of course two of them just had to make it. Thankfully we have buffer votes. Jay left last time, now Mickey is our weak link. He served as bait, and that was it. Can't say how smooth things were with Shane's group, although that may influence the vote. I do have my partnership with Anne Maria, so we would only need one more to eliminate Mickey."
-Confessional: Gallant Gulls: Anne Maria-
Anne Maria was furiously spraying herself, glaring at the camera. "Oh Shane is gonna GET it! That boy ain't gonna snitch on me and walk away! I don't care if it was a challenge, he thought it was real and pulled that. That jerk is DONE."
-Confessional: Oddball Octopi: Lucien-
Lucien let out a yawn, before chuckling. "Yeah I knew it was a challenge the whole time. When I checked for blood I knew it was prop blood. But if I slacked off during a challenge knowingly? Jo would've chewed my ear out. Here I was just an early victim. Those sedatives were funny too, never fell asleep quite that fast before. I also just wanted to see how the others would behave if they thought they were going to die. Jo being helpful I did not expect, Mike would also be terrible in any case like this."
-End Confessionals-
Later that night, the 6 members of the Gallant Gulls were gathered at the elimination ceremony area on the beach, with the neon green lights shining down on them from the garlands. In the front row sat Brava, Anne Maria, and Zoey, while in the back row sat Shane, Mickey, and Brick. Geoff and Bridgette stood on the other side of the bonfire, creating a foreboding glow on the faces of the players.
"I should have followed my code harder..." Brick said to himself, already looking plenty guilty over this ceremony.
Geoff opened up the cooler and pulled out the first soda can, while Bridgette read the votes from the ballot box. "Hey, don't beat yourself up too hard. You still acted pretty noble out there, and you thought it was real, so that's doubly good." Bridgette tried to comfort Brick.
"Yeah dude, gnarly tackle against Duncan there!" Geoff added as well.
Zoey chuckled at Geoff's addition briefly smiling when she remembered. "Anyway, you dudes know the drill. If Bridge says your name, you're all good muchacho! So let's get on with it!" Geoff went over the introduction.
Bridgette nodded, putting the votes back in the box. "Soda cans of safety go to..."
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"Anne Maria."
Anne Maria angrily caught her soda can, nearly crushing it when she clenched it.
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"Zoey."
Zoey happily caught hers, just glad this was all over with.
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"Brick."
Brick hung his head in shame, but still caught his soda can.
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"Mickey."
Mickey was pleasantly surprised to not be in the bottom two, happily holding a hand out to catch his soda can, but was instead conked in the groin, making him fall back in his seat.
That now just left the bottom two, who gave each other similar looks. Shane looked more determined than Brava, who just looked more bored than anything. "Shane, Brava, both of you ditched your teammates in a life or death situation. So your reasons to be voted off are pretty cut and dry." Bridgette told them, with Geoff getting ready to toss the final can.
"Self preservation. What do you want me to say?" Shane replied, not backing down.
"A sorry would help..." Mickey replied, covering his waist with both hands now.
Bridgette sighed, ready to deliver the verdict. "Well, the last soda can of safety goes to..."
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"Shane!"
Shane caught his soda can as if he fully expected to be safe, while Brava just groaned. "Cannot say I'm surprised. I failed to consider the numerical advantage in the challenge." Brava conceded, not all that slightly by her loss.
"Wait you're not mad? But we voted you off?" Mickey asked, having pre-emptively flinched, expecting something more violent.
"Correct. But Chris isn't here, so I didn't need to be here either. I only returned because I was invited. I have other things to take care of now. Farewell." Brava replied, now getting up from her seat.
"Thanks for taking it well Brava. The bus of losers is waiting for you now." Bridgette thanked Brava with a bow, although the assassin didn't respond and just walked up the sand and to the bus.
As Brava left, the air grew more awkward among the remaining Gulls, except for Anne Maria, whose anger only grew. "So... do we head back to our huts now?" Zoey asked.
Geoff nodded, gesturing to them with his thumb. "Go right ahead dudette! Good luck to you next time!" Geoff wished them, letting the final of them all get up to head back.
As they left, Bridgette now faced the camera, raising a finger. "The teams are now even once more! Did the Octopi get a boost in comradery? Will the Gulls dive into trust issues are the behavior today? And just who will take the boot? Find out next time, on Total Drama Malibu!" Bridgette now finished the episode, with Geoff raising his arms up on one of the zoom outs.
Teams Remaining:
Gallant Gulls: Brick, Shane, Zoey, Anne Maria, Mickey
Oddball Octopi: Jo, Mike, Mitzy, Arin, Lucien
Elimination Order:
11th: Brava
12th: Jay
13th: Monica
14th: Vanessa
15th: Caleb
16th: Petunia
Author's Note:
This was a little poorly timed, but here we are! Due to what goes down in Film Lot, I mainly had Brava pegged as a sort of early boot from the start. Thank you again to Katastic Writer for letting me use her once more, this isn't the last we'll be seeing of her! Her more serious writing and humor was fun, but now was just her time to go. The cynics have to go at some point, and the others don't get as much material as Brava does, so she had to be sidelined here. Let me know what you thought in the reviews, and I'll see you all next time!