Disclaimer: Characters belong to Fresh Tv. I only own my OCs.

~A/N~ Episode 8 is here and things are about to get serious! And make sure to vote in the poll if you haven't already. Also, is it possible for us to hit 70 reviews with this chapter? I think it is, so keep reviewing, whether it's praise or (constructive) criticism. Anyways, enjoy the chapter!

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"Last time on Total Drama: Drama Return of the Underdogs..."

"Our top eleven were tasked with fixing the generator that powered my underground cottage at three in the morning. Some fell, some lost their pants, and some got burned. In the end, Dakota, our new owner of the McLean Invincibility Statue, had finally sent Sammy packing, but Katie stepped in to volunteer for elimination to save her friendship with Sadie. Dakota exploded, revealing Samantha's plan to the rest of the campers, but I decided to spice things up with a pinch of McLean magic by switching Sam and Noah onto opposite teams. Now, only ten remain, and with the merge fast approaching, it's sink or swim time, literally, here on Total... Drama... Return of the Underdogs!"

(Theme song plays)

Samantha rolled around in her bunk, smiling as she kept warm inside the cabin with her new team.

Confessional

Samantha: "At first I was hesitant about this 'new team' thing, but then I remembered that I get to sleep in a cabin instead of on the ground. Of course, there are some minor annoyances."

End Confessional

Noah curled up into the fetal position and shivered as the cold nipped at his exposed skin. Being on the Llamas of Loserdom meant sleeping outside like dogs, and it wasn't too enjoyable for anyone.

Confessional

Noah: "As much as I hate sleeping in the cold with roaches, rats, and spiders, at least there aren't any eels around to annoy me! Jordan, I'm looking at you!"

End Confessional

A few feet away, Dakota was sitting against the large tree with a scowl on her face. Her plan had failed miserably and now the target was on the other team, but there was only one thing that kept her happy: the immunity statue, the symbol of life in the game and her only way to ensure her victory.

Brick was sound asleep, as were Eva and Ethan. However, the latter was having very interesting nightmares.

Confessional

Ethan: "I thought Sammy was safe for sure, but I don't know what to do now that she's on the other team. If Dakota wants her gone, then I have to do whatever it takes to stop her. Without Sammy, I feel so... broken. But at least Noah's my friend, right? Right."

Dakota: "With Sammy on the Foxes, that leaves Ethan or Noah for elimination. Noah's a bigger threat, but he hates Jordan, so he could work out for the alliance. But even if something goes wrong, I always have this sexy thing!" *She pulls the idol out of her pocket and kisses it* "Ah! Splinter!"

End Confessional

The sun rose and, for the first time in days, Chris didn't awaken the campers with a brutal call from the intercom. Instead, Brick's alarm served a similar purpose for the Llamas of Loserdom, new team mate included.

The cadet causally sat up and yawned a happy yawn as the rest of his team grumbled.

"Shut that thing up!" Dakota screamed. "My ears are falling off!"

"Yeah!" Eva growled, pounding her fist on the ground.

Brick picked up his clock and fumbled it in his hands, but couldn't find a way to shut it off in his tired state. Suddenly, it was snatched away from his hands by a tired and angry Noah. Brick tried to grab it back, but accidentally dropped it, breaking one of it's hands and one of it's sirens. Tears began to stream down his face as Noah retreated slowly.

Confessional

Brick: "How could he?!" *He cradles his broken alarm clock* "Noah will pay dearly for that, that little slacker!"

End Confessional

"Sorry, dude," Noah chuckled with a hint of nervousness on his speech. "I was just really tired and annoyed, so..."

Brick continued to sob, so Noah backed up into Eva.

"Don't worry," she told her scrawny friend. "He'll get over it in a day."

"I think not," Noah cringed as he noticed snot running down the face of a broken Brick. "He looks pretty shattered to me."

"Don't sweat it," Dakota sighed. "I'll talk to him about it later."

"Whyyyyyyyyy!?" Brick sobbed.

Inside the cabin, Brick's weeping awoke the other team, the Foxes of Failure, and they immediately groaned in unison.

"It's Brick," Samantha let out a tired sigh. "Unless Noah cries like a walrus."

"Brick's hurting inside," Dawn said as she flipped her body off of the top bunk, surprising Samantha. "He's lost something dear to him; I can feel it in the aura waves."

"Aura?" the strategist farmgirl asked, puzzled. "I don't think you ever told me about that."

"I did on the first day," Dawn smiled. "Remember?"

"No. I don't."

"Yeah, Dawn is some kind of psychic or something," Tyler said as he stretched his arms around his body, warming up for the day's challenge. "It's cool."

"I'm afraid I can't see the future," Dawn replied. "I can make predictions and lucky guesses, but my real skills involve sensing the auras around me."

"Really?" Samantha asked with a chuckle. "Well, describe my aura then."

"Easy. Your aura is a muddy blue with a hint of reddish orange."

Samantha scratched her arm. "And... That means what?"

"It shows you to an adventurous person who heads into danger without thinking. You also have a massive fear of what's to come."

"Wow," Samantha laughed. "That's totally me, and I'm not kidding. Actually... It's kind of creepy now that I think about it."

Suddenly Samantha was pushed aside by a large arm belonging to Jordan. "Move aside," he told her before asking Dawn to read his aura.

Dawn closed her eyes and extended her arm towards Jordan. She gasped. "Your aura is... I've never seen this before."

"Really?" Jordan squealed with excitement. "Is it that good?!"

"It's... Black?"

Jordan scowled. "Uh, racist much?"

"Not the color of your skin; your aura. It's dark and void of color."

The campers watched as Jordan's face grew red with anger. "What does that mean?!" he screamed.

"It means that you absorb lighter energies and consume them," Dawn told him with a matter-of-fact tone. "You're like a black hole of emotion."

"You're totally lying," Jordan scoffed. "You're just mad at me for picking on Noah for a week. My aura is just fine the way it is."

Dawn frowned, letting a sad sigh escape her throat. "You're beyond the realm of my help. You're too far gone."

"Not listening." Jordan shoved his fingers into his ears and walked away.

Confessional

Jordan: "Black?! My aura was black?! What the (bleep) does that mean?!" *Pauses* "You're not airing that discussion, Chris. I'll sue!"

Tyler: "Dawn's so cool. But, man, Jordan has black aura. That's weird. No more like, extreme to the max weird."

Dawn: "I didn't lie; I couldn't, ever. Jordan's aura was black, so I told him it was, even if it was a huge shock to him, even though everyone could sense it with or without abilities like mine."

Brick: "Whyyyyyyyyyy?!" *Cries*

End Confessional

Meanwhile, Dakota and her two partners were outside, organizing their plans as Noah and Ethan were discussing their favorite games.

"So who's next?" Brick asked. "Ethan?"

"Or Noah," Dakota added. "We don't know if we can trust him yet."

"I know I don't," Brick scoffed. "I sew his pants back together and then he breaks my clock? Heck, he isn't even a team player. All he is to us is a liability unless he pulls his own weight."

"Oh, leave him to me," Eva said with a tired yawn. "He's harmless. Plus, he's one of the only people I've met that doesn't shit themselves around me. That takes guts, and he's got 'em, or at least a few."

"Great imagery," Dakota said sarcastically as she began to file her nails.

Confessional

Dakota: "I wanted to tell Eva about the statue, but it was too risky. She's a huge target in the game, so I could totally see her stealing it down the line. Plus, with this in my pocket, my workload is much lighter. And I hate work!"

End Confessional

The bullhorn sparked with a shrill grinding sound, forcing the campers to cover their ears. This was a recurring event, so most of them were used to the noise by now.

"Attention, campers," Chris announced. "Meet me at the Chrisoseum in ten for today's challenges. And make sure to bring your game face! McLean... Out!"

"Game face?" Ethan pondered aloud. "Is this a video game challenge?!"

"Yeah, 'cause Chris would actually give me a challenge I'd want to do," Noah rolled his eyes and groaned.

"You're probably right," Ethan said. "It's not like that place is actually fun. The last time we were there, I nearly died."

"I know... I was there..."

"Oh... Right," Ethan nervously chuckled.

Confessional

Ethan: "Noah's great! We actually have things in common. Back home, the only one around who listened to what I had to say was my cat... I miss my cat."

End Confessional

The teams moved through the woods with the Llamas of Loserdom ahead of the Foxes of Failure. Ethan continued to relive his last few years to Noah, who was slowly starting to become annoyed at the YouTuber's story-telling. Behind them, Dakota, Brick, and Eva were having a friendly discussion for once instead of a stealth strategy meeting. On the Foxes, Dawn was telling Samantha and Staci about the colors of aura, and behind them Jordan was asking Tyler a very serious question.

"You... Want to be in an alliance with me?" Tyler responded. "I don't know about that. I mean, you're my pal and all, but Samantha and I have a pretty rocky relationship, ya' know."

"True, very true," Jordan sighed. "But face it, bro: You're the outsider here."

"What?" Tyler asked. "How am I an outsider? I thought everyone liked me."

"They do, but look at the facts. You got a free ticket back into the game, even though your team sent you home."

"But I was unfairly sent home," Tyler argued. "Chris even let me back to avoid a lawsuit."

"Exactly! You got special treatment. Don't you think the others would rather have no one come back. It's not as if anyone wants more competition."

"Yeah, you're right on that one, but what else makes me an outsider?"

Jordan thought for a minute. "Your lack of an alliance."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I'm with Samantha and Staci's with Dawn. But you're all alone on this team. You're a swing vote if we lose tonight. Get it?"

"Yeah, I guess, but why would anyone vote me off? I didn't hurt anyone!"

"You're a threat if the finale is a jury vote and not some insane challenge. Who would pick someone like me or Eva over you?"

Tyler paused in place and looked at Jordan. "Alright. I'm... In. Just... What do I do?"

"We'll deal with that road block when we come to it," Jordan answered, patting his friend on the back and walking off, leaving Tyler confused.

Confessional

Jordan: "Well, my butt's safe tonight. All we have to do is vote for Dawn or Staci and we're all in the top nine."

Tyler: "Jordan's a cool guy. He's so smart too. Heh, would I do without him?"

End Confessional

Jordan approached Samantha and smiled. "So, how'd you sleep?"

"Great," Samantha said confidently.

Confessional

Samantha: "Terrible! Just Terrible! Dawn sleeps with her eyes open, Tyler snores like a hog, and Jordan sings Nicki Minaj songs in his sleep. Seriously, listening to him singing about stupid hoes on repeat for two hours made me suicidal!"

End Confessional

The teams arrived at the massive structure where Chris was waiting, standing at the entrance.

"Welcome, victims! How's the team switch treatin' ya'?"

"Like shit," Noah deadpanned.

"Nice," Chris retorted. "What about you, Sammy?"

"Great so far," she said, crossing her arms with confidence. "Dawn taught me about aura this morning and she's dead on with mine."

"Interesting," Chris smiled. "I thought everyone would hate you and... Why is Brick crying?" He turned his attention to the sobbing cadet.

"Noah tried to turn off his stupid alarm clock and broke it," Eva groaned. "Pretty lame reason for tears if you ask me."

"Meh, I've seen worse," Chris said. "Anyways, it's time to introduce today's special challenge... The Chris McLean Sportstravaganza!"

"Oh (bleep) me!" Noah growled. "Seriously, I'd rather do that at this point."

Chris explained the challenge, ignoring Noah's angry sighs. "This challenge includes three separate events, a clever homage to our sports movie challenge from season two."

"More like a rehash," Staci mumbled.

"Hey, I had a budget!" Chris shouted in defense. "It was either this or bear wrestling, and I chose the one with the least potential for court cases. Or do you want to wrestle a bear?"

"No, I'm good," Staci chuckled nervously. "Perfectly fine over here!"

"Great, now let's get moving, ladies; we're burning daylight!"

Confessional

Noah: "Well, I'm going to die today. I guess I should start writing that will. To my family... Nothing! As if they deserve it for the way they've treated me over the years."

Tyler: "I know I'm not a master of sports, but now's the time to unleash the beast inside me and save my team."

Dakota: "Please don't be muddy! Please don't be muddy!"

Eva: "Finally, challenge I can dominate again. With my leg healed up enough, I can really wreck the competition like I should be."

End Confessional

The teens followed Chris inside the arena and came face to face with a giant, elevated boxing ring.

"Our first challenge: free-for-all boxing!" Chris exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "The rules are simple: both teams will suit up and enter the ring as a whole. Using your strongest punches and fighting techniques, you'll knock the opposing team's players off of the platform and score this point for your team. But remember, there will only be one round per challenge, so make your time count."

The players climbed the ladders around the ring, which had no railing, and stepped onto the soft padding. On top was a selection of colored gloves: green for the Llamas; red for the Foxes.

Noah picked up his set of gloves and tried to put them on, but gave up after a few short seconds, so Eva grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and put them on his hands herself.

"Don't screw this up for us," she warned him. "If you don't want to fight, then just act as a distraction."

"So you want me to a punching bag? Great plan," Noah said sarcastically.

"Just move," Eva shoved his aside.

On the Foxes, Dawn was reluctant to put on her gloves, but Staci was trying to encourage her.

"If you don't want to fight, then just dodge," the chubby teen said. "Back home, I'm really good at dodgeball. It's never about throwing balls, but about not getting hit. Just tire everyone out, and everyone else can score."

"I want to win, but not with violence," Dawn sighed. "Look at Noah. He's too weak to fight and hates sports. It's not fair to throw people like us into this game."

"Dawn, just dodge and wait. Trust me," Staci smiled and joined the rest of the team.

Chris took his seat at the podium and pulled out microphone. "Alright, campers, it's time to battle it out! In the green corner, we have the Llamas of Loserdom; in the red corner, the Foxes of Failure. When the bell rings, you'll-"

"Hey!" a wheezing voice said from below. "I thought I was supposed to provide color commentary!"

Chris looked down to see his new intern, Harold, glaring at him with a face that screamed "I hate you!"

"Fine," Chris sighed angrily. "I promised, so I guess I have to... not!" Chris shoved his open hand at the teen below. "Be gone with you!"

Harold hung his head in disappointment and walked over to the sidelines.

"And... Begin!" Chris rang the bell and both teams ran toward the center of the square platform.

Jordan eyed Noah, standing near the edge behind everyone else, and decided to rush him. The snob raised his fists in preparation to strike and ran full speed at the bookworm. Noah gasped and tried to dodge the punch, but Jordan struck him square in the chest, sending him flying over the edge in into the hard ground, all while Noah let out a feminine scream.

"And Jordan KOs Noah with a powerful hit to the chest!" Chris shouted with glee. "The Foxes are ahead by one boxer!"

"Oh, screw you!" Eva bellowed, charging towards Jordan at full speed. The two locked punches as Dakota and Brick targeted Samantha.

"Oh, this ain't biased at all," Samantha sighed under her breath as she punched at the two former team mates.

Dawn stood away from the action and watched as Staci pummeled Ethan to the ground, refusing to let the nerd stand up to defend himself. When he finally stood up, she delivered a knockout punch that sent him toppling over the side.

Confessional

Dawn: "That was too hard to watch. I never knew Staci was so violent."

Staci: "Oh, yeah! Who-duh girl?! Me! That's who!"

End Confessional

"With Ethan's fall, it's five to three for the Foxes! Samantha is under pressure, Dawn is doing nothing, Staci's the girl on fire, and Eva and Jordan aren't giving up! It's anyone's match!" Chris clapped his hands and laughed as the campers beat each other to a pulp.

Tyler locked horns with Eva in order to help his team mate, but Eva causally tossed him over the side of the ring with one hand.

After Chris announced Tyler's fall, Jordan decided to play dirty and kicked Eva in her weak ankle. She doubled over and Jordan punched her in the temple, making her lose her already poor balance and causing her to stumble off the edge, landing on Tyler as well.

Chris cheered. "The Foxes lead by two! Dakota and Brick are the Llama's only hope, but can they pull off a win?!"

Dakota nailed Samantha in the face and looked up at Chris. "You bet we can!" she snorted arrogantly before Jordan returned the favor with a punch to the back.

Brick immediately turned around. "No one takes cheap shots on my team mate and gets away unscathed!"

Jordan ducked to avoid Brick's punch, but fell straight into the cadet's plan when he felt a fist strike under his jaw as Brick succeeded in pulling off a crouching uppercut and sent Jordan stumbling over the side. Unfortunately, Staci was quick to hit and Brick was sent to the ground after a blow to the back of his head.

Dakota got up and delivered a blow to Staci as she turned around, but Samantha was quick to punch Dakota again.

Dawn was still doing nothing.

Staci and Brick exchanged punches as Dakota blocked those of Samantha, and Brick managed to knock Staci close to the edge of the ring while Samantha took Dakota to the ground.

"Dawn, help!" Staci screamed as Brick wailed away on her defenses. Dawn looked on in confusion, but was too late when Staci was pushed off the side by Brick, who set his sites on Samantha.

"It's a tie game!" Chris shouted. "Can Brick and Dakota keep up the hurt until the end?!"

As the final four, fought it out above, the eliminated fighters waited below for the next knock out. It wasn't a long wait.

Brick and Dakota pummeled Samantha closer and closer to the edge, and Dawn tried to intervene by distracting the two Llamas. However, this plan quickly failed when Samantha was shoved into Dawn, sending both players off the side and scoring the win for the Llamas.

"The Llamas of Loserdom win!" Chris shouted into the mic. "And in a pretty stunning finish too!"

"Hooray," Noah deadpanned as he rubbed his sore chest. "Totally worth the pain, huh?"

Jordan smirked his way.

"The Foxes are behind by one, so they'll have to win both of the remaining events to avoid elimination tonight!" Chris shouted, still in his podium.

"You do know that you can come down, right?" Dakota asked, rubbing her sore head.

"Yeah, but it's fun to be above you, you know. Makes ya' feel... meaningful!"

The campers groaned as Chris turned to the camera man. "Well, we're only one challenge into the Sportstravaganza and the Llamas are owning this game so far, but anything can happen. Stay tuned for the ultimate game of dodgeball here, on Total... Drama... Return of the Underdogs!"

"Seriously!?" Noah growled from below. "Again?!"

Chris chuckled. "Heh, weak."

~A/N~ And that's the chapter. I'm sorry it's so short, but there wasn't too much to write about. Trust me though, things are about to pick up. What that means you can probably guess, but I'm not spoiling anything.

Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll. The results will have no effect on the elimination order, as I've already decided that, but it did let me know who's popular among my readers.

PS: I'm still trying to hit 70 or more reviews with this chapter, so every single one helps. :)