Total Drama: Pahkitew Showdown Chapter 6: Revenge of the Pahk - Part 1, a total drama series fanfic

Episode 1: Revenge of the Pahk - Part 1

"This is it. Welcome to the top. The peak of power…"

"Barf." The one and only, Chris McLean, stuck his tongue out upon muttering an inscription written on a giant boulder, sticking out of the cliff like a sore thumb. An artsy-fartsy dud, he thought. No one could be that pretentious. No way…

"This screams Topher," he muttered to the cameraman, pointing to the writing with his most typical, annoyed face. "See that? A chi-chi attempt at 'being profound'..."

Time was almost up. The cameraman glanced at his wristwatch: 7:30 pm. Not fully nighttime, but almost there. However, the crescent moon rose from the horizon rather quickly, hovering over the dark-purple sky.

The cameraman took a few steps back, closer to the edge of the pointy cliff, zooming his camera out further to capture the entire landscape of the island: the mechanical wonderland of terror. Flashing lights were emitting all over the island's center, shrouded underneath the taiga wilderness. Brightly colored from the neon beams adorned all over the small, western town, with its glowing clock tower peeking out of the forest like a sharpened pencil.

At last, the host with the most breathed in… and breathed out, taking in the fact he was back in Pahkitew Island, albeit with some noticeable differences; large crowds of islanders could be heard all the way from the western tourist town. Neon lights—neon lights everywhere! Illuminating the night atmosphere with all its bright colors, like a cyberpunk city meshed under artificial wilderness.

However, the cliff where Chris McLean stood retained its traditional Pahkitew roots: the campfire, the steep drop, and the iconic exit mode of transportation. Still keeping the shame to its name, reserved for the eliminated contestants. Being cautious not to bump into the covert device covered under a massive blanket, the cameraman took one more step back to the side, and pressed record.

Time… for chaos…

"Greetings, Total Drama fans!" Chris walked into the frame, arms in the air while flashing his signature grin. "Guess who's back! Back again! Your one-of-a-kind host! Chris… McLean!" He pointed to himself in vain. Typical Chris. "We've returned to Wawanakwa. Then Wawanakwa again! Then, a brand-new location: Pahkitew Island. Then, another brand-new location: Bakuhatsu Island. What a weird name for an island, right intern?" The cameraman stood there blank, completely stiff. "Fine. Whatevs. Can't convince me that an old, retired wrestler could ever replace me. See? If I was there, that season wouldn't have been much of a mess. Just look at the ratings! The fans wanted me back!" Even with him almost bursting into a tantrum, the cameraman stood frozen like a statue. No fear, nor care was present in his eyes, unlike the host's previous interns.

The host rolled his eyes. "What? No reaction for the greatest host of all time?" He crossed his arms, eyes crunched in irritation. "Alright, dude. Moving on…" he morphed his frown back into a smile. "And now… moving past… whatever last season was, we are now right back where the weirdness began! Behold… Pahkitew Island!" The frame zoomed out rapidly, revealing the island in its entire glory. "After my rather… mysterious absence in the hosting biz, the island had quite the makeover. And not just a makeover…" upon strolling to his right, a large circular spotlight beamed right where Chris stood firm like a movie star. "It's an entire renovation from the tiny village over there—" he pointed to all the neon lights illuminating in the island center. "All the way down here!" Another yellow spotlight popped out of nowhere, giving the host a brighter glow. Meanwhile, out of nowhere, a helicopter rose out of the cliffs underneath, slowly hovering towards the village as it loudly muffled the voices underneath, blowing the host's hair violently.

"WE GOT LOADS OF COMPANY! TOURISTS FLOCKING OVER TO PAHKITEW ISLAND FOR A TASTE OF ALL THE ACTION THAT THIS MECHANICAL ISLAND HAS TO OFFER! NOT TO MENTION, A TAX HAVEN FOR ALL THE RICH FOREIGNERS WANTING A TASTE OF WESTERN FAUX-VEGAS ADVENTURE!" Chris screamed, but still remained muffled, no match for the rapidly spinning rotor. He waited until the helicopter flew out of sight. And away the helicopter went. Just in time for his closing remarks.

"In the meantime, we will have the BIGGEST, most CHAOTIC batch of contestants yet! Competing for—not one! Not two! But THREE! MILLION! DOLLARS!" He pointed to the camera with a grin. "You heard it here first, folks! Three… million… DOLLARS! We are leveling up the competition! No more boring sequences! No more filler episodes! We're diving head-first into the action! I'm your host, Chris McLean! My chaotic past… is in the past! The producers want me in a 'calmer' state of mind, so no more 'madness' Chris! It's a more 'zen' Chris, from here on out! And not to worry. Not everything's changed up…" he walked towards a rectangular box hidden underneath a gray cover, pulling it out to reveal… "The outhouse confessional! It's not going away. Still smelly. Reeks fish, by the way!" He smirked, accompanied by his iconic laugh while tossing the cover back on top.

"Anyways," he continued. "It's our biggest! Most GRANDIOSE! Most CHAOTIC season yet! And YOU don't want to miss out on the mayhem! Let's cut to the chase! Right here! RIGHT NOW!"

"On Total!"

"Drama!"

"Pahkitew Showdown!"

Opening Theme

Multiple barrages of cameras popping out from one place to another, including inside an artificial pine tree bark, underneath a pond inside a dimly lit cave, from the main Pahkitew bar as it spooked a couple tourists sitting on stools, and popping out from grains of sand at a beach as it pointed its lenses towards a frustrated Hailee resting on a reclining beach chair.

Dear Mom and Dad, I'm doin' fine,

The camera performed its usual flyby across the island; this time, it flew through a flock of tourists attempting to take photographs at a young mysterious figure in a black jacket with his hoodie flipped over his head while protected by two buff bodyguards.

You guys are on my mind.

The camera then hovered over an artificial cliff as it suddenly sprung high up from the ground, while a startled Melissa stood frozen on the top as she played around with a remote that activated the cliff right under her. The camera frame flew past her, leaping right off the cliff, falling into the ocean headfirst.

You asked me what I wanted to be

Both Viola and Walter swam away to a tunnel leading underneath the island, away from a robotic bear driving a speedboat as it chased them down. Jasmine and Carter dropped midway down in front of the tunnel entrance using ropes, scaring away the frightened robot using laser rifles as their shoes barely touched the ocean surface.

And now I think the answer is plain to see,

As Viola and Walter continued swimming away frighteningly into the dark tunnel, they passed by a mischievous Alexander playing his black flute as he strolled across the narrow sidewalk with an army of rats following right behind him in a straight line. Dawn quietly observed from the sidelines in amazement and curiosity.

I wanna be famous.

After Jacque exited out the doorway in a shady, serious manner with his hands stuffed into his pockets, a peek inside revealed Duncan and Hunter facing each other in a sewer-like meeting room, shaking hands as they both smirked deviously while Rival spied on their backhanded deal from a distance, hidden behind a door underneath the shadows.

I wanna live close to the sun,

As the camera zoomed into a random sewer pipe leading upwards high up onto the surface, Daniela and Beardo shared earbuds, listening to the music playlist on her phone with calm smiles on their faces before noticing their boat leading towards a waterfall, attempting to row away from the fall before the entire river system had shut off. Their boat remained stuck on the dried up river.

Go pack your bags, 'cause I've already won,

Nanci and Spencer argued on a rather high-up, unstable, and narrow natural bridge as a wild Arnold swung towards them using a long rope, crashing into Spencer as they both flew across the island. They both smashed their faces onto the outhouse confessional.

Everything to prove, nothing in my way

Startled by the sudden ruckus rumbling the entire outhouse, Dylan exited out the door to stare down both Arnold and Spencer before noticing her loose jeans almost falling down, gripping them tight while covering up anything slightly revealing using her baseball cap.

I'll get there one day.

Inside a suburban-like cabin, Preston sliced up a neatly assembled salad into a large bowl before serving Uma and Frederick a plate. As they both excitedly grabbed their plates from the kitchen counter, Uma caressed Frederick's muscles flirtatiously, leaving him dumbfounded while wrapping her hand with bandage, thinking that her hand was injured, much to Uma's confusion.

Cause, I wanna be famous!

Inside the living room from the same suburban-like cabin, Samey noticed a tiara randomly lying on the black couch, picking it up before being shoved by Amy, falling face flat on the cold floor with the tiara tumbling and rolling across the room. Kiara noticed her precious tiara carelessly dropped, yelling at Amy before they each pulled their hair, leading into a vicious fight. Eliza walked right past them, not caring one bit as she vigorously rubbed her sleepy eyes.

Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na!

Near the campfire ceremony, Wane wedgied Max, thwarting his evil plans before running away with money bags on both hands, laughing deviously as Max chased after him angrily. Cora chased after them downhill, irked that she had to watch over them like babysitting children.

I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!

On one of the wooden docks, Keesha happily sang along with the lyrics, ignoring the dangerous robot sharks jumping over the docks in front of her as she continued eyeing the camera, before one of the other contestants snatched it away to the other dock.

I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous!

Shun swiftly readjusted the camera with her hands slightly covering the lenses, letting go of the camera to face her standing on the dock before playfully sticking her tongue out and gesturing peace signs, spinning around in one spot with her roller skates as she pointed to the bright sun above the horizon.

Whistling…

Rodney and Sky sat together right behind the campfire as they awkwardly stared at each other. The farmer had trouble containing his blush while Sky continued glancing in puzzlement before they were both startled by a hooded figure behind them. Removing the hoodie revealed to be Ben, glaring at the camera in stern awkwardness and confusion as the camera zoomed out, revealing the entire cast sitting around the campfire in the middle of a neon-infested night.

Total Drama: Pahkitew Showdown

Written by: Lillaptop and Project Drama

The blimp that carried all the returning contestants, plus Chef and Hailee, continued to trek through the dangerous storm. A continuous pattern of lightning and thunder could make one question how the aircraft hadn't been damaged yet. It didn't help that the surrounding gray clouds got thicker and denser.

Within the interior of the blimp, Chef and Hailee, who returned from her quick trip to the engine room to examine some files, were occupied with keeping themselves alive; also, the contestants - one bad mishap and a fat lawsuit would await them.

On the topic of contestants, all sixteen returnees could be seen in the neighboring cargo room. Nothing but silence and nonverbal expressions, alongside the occasional sound of feet tapping on the metal floor. Given the variety of personalities and history amongst each person, some with more people than others, the atmosphere of this room felt tense, to say the least.

"So… any reason why we're all here?" Rodney broke the silence, asking around the room so at least one person could answer him. He scratched the back of his head, attempting to avoid gaze with the women, the beautiful ones in particular like Nanci, Daniela, Amy -

"Were you not paying attention?" Amy rolled her eyes at Rodney's dumbness, feeling a bit irritated on having to deal with him again. "We were told to meet up in this room!" Despite showing clear animosity towards a particular twin sister, she still sat next to Samey. "I swear you have the same IQ level as Samey over here." She lowered her voice but could still be heard.

Samey simply shrunk into her seat in embarrassment, now unable to respond or look in anyone's direction. Being the residential observer, Spencer frowned at the display. "Wonderful compliment." His comment dripped with sarcasm as he glanced around to get a better scope of his competition. No doubt, he was going to deal with weirdos and a-holes again.

"Hmph! To even call that a compliment is foolish!" Max chimed into the conversation, having the behavior of a weirdo. He pointed at Samey. "Look at this buffoon! She's been affected by her clone's diabolical insult! Such evil is impressive." Like any supervillain, he paced himself in front of Spencer. "But none shall be able to out-evil me! For as I, Evil Max, will create a device that'll make any mortal being tremble with fear from cruel, sinister, and evil words! MWA-HA-HA -"

"Oh my gosh, would you shut up!" Kiara snapped at Max, whilst fixing her signature tiara and making sure it stayed in the perfect position on her head. "You're beyond annoying, and it's been like, only five minutes!" She shot a quick glare at the supervillain before returning to her usual activity. The purple-haired midget didn't dare to argue back.

Daniela had been sitting on one of the two metal benches, observant this entire time and keeping to herself. "Psh. Lot of drama this early. Cinco dólares habrá una pelea en la isla hoy." She shook her head in amusement, looking at the person closest to her. Said person happened to be Sky, who had been stretching her limbs.

"I know, right?" Sky agreed with Daniela's statement. For a very brief second, the entire drama between her and Dave clouded her mind, but she shook it off right away. "It's a competition, so I can see why some people are amped up, but there's no need for rudeness or nasty behavior." She added her own opinion with a smile.

"Ayo you shouldn't be talkin'." Hunter scoffed in amusement, his back against the metal wall. His smirk never ceased. "What you did to that one dude - nothin' but nasty, chica." Sky said nothing in response but opted to glare at him. "Don't get mad at me. I ain't the one gettin' caught up in that boyfriend love crap." He twirled a white king chess piece on his finger.

"Arrrgh!" Arnold's signature phrase caught the attention of almost all. "That matey Dave refused to listen!" He decided to provide his input on the matter. "He wouldn't have lasted a day out at sea! A true pirate would never stop listening until the very end of their crewmates!"

For a very brief moment, Sky stared at this fake pirate in front of her. She found him to be bizarre to an extent, but she smiled, knowing he was on her side. Nonetheless, she didn't want any more attention drawn to the fiasco between herself and Dave. Every single day ever since then… every single day since -

"Dude." The voice of one bad boy delinquent interrupted her train of thought. He had an unimpressed and most definitely unamused expression on his face. "You think anyone's gonna take you seriously with that Walmart costume?" Arnold suffered from some emotional damage from an insult. "Get real, dweeb. You'd last a minute before peeing your pants in prison." A sneer.

"All right that's enough arguing and chastising!" Jasmine borderline boomed as she stepped into the conversation to stop it from turning into a fight. She crossed her arms, wearing a serious yet non-glare expression on her face. "I know we're all on edge right now because of the environment, but we don't need to be arses toward each other!" Her presence alone was enough to silence Duncan and whoever else that wanted to throw a verbal punch.

Alexander stepped forward to stand right next to her. "I agree with that." Unlike Jasmine, his voice had a gentle and calm tone, with a pinch of formalness. "To assist in providing a peaceful atmosphere, perhaps I shall play a calming and mezzo piano tune." He pulled out his flute, holding it near his mouth as if to prepare himself.

Sitting near the pied piper, Nanci looked up at him whilst holding her arm. "Oh, I'm not sure if it's a good idea." She spoke loud enough that only Alexander and the people near her could hear. But she quickly realized how rude it came out. "Sorry, maybe it's not a good time." The socially awkward remembered the first challenge in her season. How people fell asleep because of his - "But if everyone else is cool with that, then yeah, I don't mind."

Right beside her, Dawn placed a hand on Nanci's shoulder in a gentle manner. Her eyes were closed, and a faint smile could be spotted. "Music is indeed soothing for the soul. Your aura radiates a bright lavender color. It would help your creative side come out, especially when you are emotionally fragile." She opened her eyes. "Tell me, have you gone through a heartbreak?"

Nanci's lack of response and awkward body language ruined any bit of hope for the current atmosphere to become less bleak. Alexander didn't seem to follow through with his plan, lest some people weren't cool with it. Spencer couldn't hear the conversation but given her reaction… he had a gut feeling it had to do with his situation.

Beardo would've helped Alexander with his music, but now ended up creating a sound resemblant to a light breeze. A small gust of wind. No one seemed to complain at least.

With almost the entire room filled with only quiet chatter between contestants that were sitting next to one another, Samey made a sudden and random comment to herself, for the sake of not letting Amy hear her - she had to keep her volume very faint. "This is as tense as -"

Static. The sound of a device buzzing from somewhere silenced everyone. Just like that gray screen on one's television monitor.

"W-What's that sound?" Samey asked someone sitting next to her. For the younger twin cheerleader, that person turned out to be Amy. She muted herself right away, as if she knew speaking for any longer would garner her ire.

"It's something you hear on the TV whenever it acts stupid." Amy kept her response short and simple, void of any insults. Though her tone still had some harshness to it.

The rain clouds were slowly clearing out. No more gloomy splashes of dark gray watercolor, but now a dark purple sky filled with twinkling stars. Even from a glance within the window's tiny frames, the contestants could still make out the beauty of the sky. One competitor, in particular, noticed a shooting star flying across the night sky; its stray light jet left him an awestruck impression, wanting nothing more than to shut off the noise within the blimp cargo room just so he could witness the night all by himself. At that point in time, all he wanted was to finally reach the island's surface. Run to the closest hill with no flashing neon signs visible in sight. No distractions. No boisterous shouting.

Just peace, and quiet…

Contrast. A complete turnaround from the veterans situated in the other blimp. All sixteen newbies were bundled up in a cargo room, similar fashion to the sixteen veterans and their chitty chatter. One key difference, however: an additional room protruded out of a corner of the cargo room, right across the restroom. Presumably, the same cargo room hosting the secret competitor within the walled box. But this time, an additional bodyguard stood right by the door, adjacent to the first bodyguard. Both carried a similar intimidating appearance: Bald heads. Beefy upper bodies. Only major difference: one sported a scruffy beard.

Other than the silence that the two muscle-heads displayed, the open cargo room was a different story. An argument sprung between two loudmouths; their shouting layered over each other like a distorted orchestra with no sense of order or melody.

The quiet observer glancing at the night sky through the tiny window has had enough shouting.

"GUYS!" Ben shouted at the two bickerers. His sudden frustration was a rare sight for such a happy-go-lucky stargazer. "Mind if you could keep the blubbering down? Look!" He pointed at the window with punctuation. "Look! LOOK! Can't you see? A sea full of bright, beautiful stars coexisting together! Do you see them fighting each other over petty egos? NO! You won't find this anywhere in California, so why waste it here?"

"Look…" The former athlete leered at the night owl in a scoff. "I ain't here to pick petty fights, but this sleazy a-hole was pulling off my jacket, and I'm NOT letting this Jacque jackass slide with a slap on the wrist."

"Dude, how many times I gotta repeat myself?" Easy to say that the situation between them was tense. Jacque shook his head in frustration, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his red jersey. "That wasn't me! Why you blamin' me? 'Cause I'm sittin' next to you?"

"Who else could it be, man?" She retorted, pointing at his chest while glaring straight into his eyes, no fear in sight. "Don't macho me! I know the type you hang with. Don't try to pretend you're some sort of do-gooder saint!

"Hey Cora, let's relax here…" Eliza attempted to comfort the situation, glancing behind Jacque's head; the sheisty dude sat right between Cora and Eliza, almost like cutting through with a knife. "I, uh…" she yawned, stretching her slender arms out. "I'm trying to catch some sleep. Leave the…" she yawned again. "Leave the chitty chatter for the Pahkitew party."

"Wait-a-sec… why wasn't I invited? Pahkitew party? Since when?" The protective fighter, sitting on Eliza's left, blurted out in confusion. Although still carrying around a curious smile.

"Since the time Chris McLean mooned your mom. No—of course there's no Pahkitew party, you silly youngster." Eliza teased, arms crossed with a friendly, yet tired grin.

"I'll let you know…" Rival remarked, hands stuffed in his pockets with a playful smirk. "At least this 'silly youngster' won't be falling asleep at the nearest tree."

"Low… blow…" Eliza lightly chuckled, looking into his calm lava eyes for a brief analytical moment before yawning in front of his face. "But yeah, you're probably right. Speaking of which…" And just like that, snoring: she fell asleep. Head leaned backwards, neck in the air. Arms let loose like she just passed out mid-sentence.

Rival perked an eyebrow, straightening his posture. "Welp… at least she never fails to impress me." He looked to his left; the super-tall inventor fidgeted her hands in between her thighs, uncomfortable by being all bundled up on the cold, metal bench. Looking to the opposite bench, eight competitors sat side-by-side together like a can of sardines. Some conversing over the soon-to-be nerve-wracking experience, while a few were spouting nonsensical calamities. "Hey Melissa! How's the nauseating blimp treatin' ya'?" Rival shook Melissa's brief trance, swiftly turning her head to face him.

"Oh-um…" She played around with her dark-brown hair, eyeing down the floor before looking right back at Rival. "Yeah-hey! Sorry, I'm sorry. I-I was just dozing off. Y-yes. Well, a-actually, no. The blimp g-gives, or, I-mean, makes me f-feel at home. Its mechanical ingenuity is underappreciated, yet daunting." She timidly reached her hand over to the gray metal wall behind her, almost like she felt the transfer of air molecules flowing through her palm. "It-um… it's a n-nice feeling. Home." She stuffed her hand back in her pocket, looking back at an intrigued Rival. "S-sorry."

"Fascinating observation! Your keen attention to detail and inventive mind might just… rival my survival." Rival winked, sharing a brief awkward chuckle with his newfound friend.

"Did I hear someone with an inventive mind?" Sitting on Melissa's left, Keesha overheard their loud mutters and whispers, smiling as she gently extended her hand forward for a handshake. "Sorry for interrupting. Got a little excited there." Her joyful grin grew wider. "Name's Keesha. Pleasure to meet you both!"

Rival turned to face them, shaking her hand first in confidence. Melissa awkwardly stayed seated between them in silence. "Emiya. Or, as Miss Sleepyhead behind me likes to call me: silly boy-band youngster."

Keesha's hand hovered over her mouth, giggling. "I do see some resemblance."

Rival playfully shook his head in a smile. "Soon, I will enact my ultimate revenge on Eliza with… some-funny-nickname-that-I-can't-come-up-with-right-now. It's a work-in-progress."

"Just call her a donut. That always works." Sitting at the end of the bench while squished between Keesha and the metal wall, Preston chimed in with a stern demeanor, flicking dust off his white uniform shirt. "Sometimes, the simpler, the better."

"So…" Keesha faced Preston with a gentle smile. "If you wind up on my team, will you be serving simple meals?" She chuckled.

"Depending on the occasion." The chef pondered. "But as a cook, it is my utmost duty to serve high-quality meals. The best that these hands can provide."

"Mmm. I wonder what ELSE those big hands can do…" From across the opposite bench, Uma could hear Preston's deep voice, raising her own voice through the rumbling chitty chatter. However, upon noticing Preston almost ignoring her flattery, she shrugged, not minding the big swing and a miss. "Oh-well. Least I have you two pumpkin-pies!" She pinched both Walter's and Fridge's cheeks, sitting on opposite ends. The jock sat at the end while Walter sat at Uma's left.

"Hmm…" Fridge rubbed his chin. "I could use a pumpkin pie right about now." He smiled back, looking down to face the beautiful hourglass figure.

"Yeah… me too." Uma agreed, crossing her legs before looking to her left, gently caressing Walter's arm with her hand. "So… you're a lawyer, huh?" She muttered into his sweaty ear. "I would love for you to be my lawyer any day."

Walter immediately flustered, frozen and stiff in place by her sudden first moves. "I-uh… not a lawyer. Yet…" He readjusted his beige vest with both hands. "Although, as a man of justice," he deepened his voice. "I strive to be a shining example of doing good. So-um… yeah, we can keep in touch." He awkwardly grinned back before suddenly interrupted by a loudmouth sitting to his left.

"BO—RING!" Wane shouted, rumbling Walter's small ears. "Good is overrated. Listen to big donker daddy, popsicle-stick…" he points to himself, scratching his bountiful bottom before scratching his mustache. "Why strive to be 'good' when you could googoo gaga your way to the money?"

Wane rubbed his hands together like a business executive salivating for surpluses. However, a force of disturbance caught his attention: the k-pop lollipop incarnate himself. At first, Rival glared back at him from across the room with piercing eyes, then followed up with a smirk and a wink.

"Wink at me one more time, Eye-candy…" Wane threatened, pointing with punctuation. "And I'll make sure to… SIT ON YOUR FACE AND RUB MY CHEEKS ALL OVER YOU! WAAAA—!"

"Ugh." Eye roll. Dylan had enough of the yellow jumpsuit jerk sitting to her right, always playing shouting matches with Rival as she deadpanned throughout.

"Obnoxious troublemaker, am I right?" Sitting to her left, Carter also shared her deadpan expression.

Dylan sighed in response. "Tell me 'bout it, man." She pouted, fixing her snapback. "I mean, the guy's not even wearing shoes right now," she pointed to the back with her thumb.

"HEY! HEY DYLAN! WOO-HOO!" Sitting to Carter's left, Shun waved ecstatically over the skeptic's head. Almost like she kept that energy stored throughout the entire flight. "Seems like I'm chillin' with the chillest compadres on the ride! Great minds think alike, am-I-right? Or am I… double-right? Maybe triple?" She grinned widely, throwing a peace sign as Dylan shot one back with a smile.

"You know?" Viola calmly interrupted, sitting at the very end of the bench to Shun's left, almost feeling left out. "You provide an immaculate equilibrium to our pleasant side of the corner."

Shun glanced back at her with a smile, noticing her upright posture while Shun's was more slouched, and legs spread. "Attendin' a business meeting? Kidding-I'm kidding!" She stuck her tongue out playfully. Viola chuckled along with her, sharing a friendly fist-bump…

Suddenly, the two bodyguards, usually frozen in place like statues, finally stepped to the side, away from the door shielding away the mysterious room, housing a mysterious figure. And for the first time, the door creaked open. A few of the passengers sitting upfront glanced at the doorway in confusion, revealing a slim teenager in a black hoodie. Most of his face and blonde hair was obscured by the hoodie over his head, dramatically strolling towards the center like a ring walkout, as the two bodyguards followed from behind.

"AHEM." One of the bodyguards announced, reading a flashcard passed behind by the teenager as everyone else just stared dumbfounded. "Please welcome… the teen idol. The heartthrob of our current generation. The hip-hop, pop, and R&B sensation. A musical artist with emo-rap flavor. A late addition to the game, permitted by Chris McLean himself. You are not allowed to touch him. You are not allowed to speak to him. You are not allowed to stare at him for a prolonged period of time. At least, not until the show commences. Please welcome…"

The teenager flung the hoodie off his head and slowly removed the black oversized wayfarers, revealing…

…

"DWAYNE JUNIOR!"

Surprise!

Some light gasps were heard across the room. A few audible yawns here and there. With one or two irritated huffs. Newfound celebrity status could do that for the sixteen-year-old Junior. Almost appeared similar to his Ridonculous Race debut, but with a much taller physique, wearing ripped black jeans and trendy, high-top sport sneakers. Hair kept almost the same length, but with more touches of trim.

"What's poppin'." Junior flashed a peace sign. His voice was pitched slightly deeper but still youthful.

"Oh-great, a celebrity. Neato." Cora rolled her eyes.

"Hey-I don't make the rules here, dude." Junior stuffed his hands within his pockets, keeping his cool. "The producers wanted to slide in a bit of star power. Celebs like me, ya know? Gotta keep it bussin'." Cora crossed her arms, glancing at the floor in anger. Junior did not expect that reaction. Almost like he hit a nerve…

"ATTENTION, CAMPERS!" A familiar voice rained upon the passengers as they glared up at the ceiling, including Junior and the guards, still standing at the very center. "I see you all greeted each other once again. That's fine and dandy, BUT… it appears we are almost arriving at our destination, so for those of you that were shooting each other smiles and sharing laughs, WELL…" Much to everyone's surprise, the host himself walked inside the room, strutting with confidence, and a smirk… "Friendship's almost over!"

Standing beside Chris, Junior perked an eyebrow, confused over his sudden presence. "You were on board with us the entire time?"

Ignoring the startled teen idol, Chris walked past him, continuing in the same direction to the other side of the metallic room as the newbies watched him turn and walk back where he entered. "A—nyways, let's get started. Your first challenge…"

As Chris continued walking out the doorway, he somehow magically stumbled into the other blimp's cargo room, almost like he teleported into a gateway as he walked past the veteran contestants and their unflattering stares. The only other person that stood up was Hailee, albeit still displeased. Per usual.

"Each crate in the following cargo room has some nifty orange life jackets neatly stored, waiting for unsuspecting use." Chris chuckled in his signature mocking tone. "NOW… you may be wondering…" he continued strutting to the following room. "Why in Pahkitew pajamas would you need life jackets? Well…"

"Typical McLean." Hailee scoffed before receiving an unexpected call from her cellphone. Upon reading the name, she shook her head, baffled. "Dad?" She answered her phone, facing towards the wall. "The hell d'you need? I'm running a show here?"

"Sorry, Hailee. I'll make this quick."

She pinched her eyebrows. "Well, better hurry it up then."

"So, here's the catch: before you caught the plane, I called Chris McLean. Wanted some… change of plans…"

She rubbed her forehead. "Uh-huh, uh-huh. Okay. Just get to the point."

"This will help boost you to stardom. Okay-listen. Basically, we made a new arrangement: you'll no longer be behind-the-scenes. We've now designated you as…" he paused briefly before dropping the major bomb…

"As what?" Hailee grew impatient, already pinpointing her father's scheming voice before he revealed the change…

"...a contestant."

Hailee was completely stunned, quickly morphing into anger. "A… WHAT?"

And before she could finish, a rumbling earthquake echoed throughout the room: an explosion.

Boom.

And… boom.

The two blimps were so close to their destination. So close to the iconic mechanical wonder. Right by the fingertips. But, of course, Chris jumped straight to the fire. No room to waste.

Puffy clouds of dark smoke escaped from the two blimps underneath. Even under the purple night sky, the smoke was still easily visible, beating out the bright stars and neon lights in a flashing spectacle. A rumbling crowd of tourists gathered on top of a cliff, staring at both blimps in awe. Both blimps dove towards opposite ends of the island, leaning downwards to poke the sharp cliff-point; both cliffs were also on each end of the island. Two cliffs. Two different crowds of tourists. Two blimps…

And two self-contained screams, trapped within the flying disaster.

"Whoops! Wrong button!" Chris remarked, giggling.

Chaos. All contestants stood up in panic, frantically glancing in each direction. Some bumped into each other, while others simply froze wide-eyed. All because of a button push.

To their left, Chef slammed the metal door open, dumbfounded by the engine suddenly malfunctioning. "CHRIS! DID YOU ACCIDENTALLY GRAB THE SELF-DESTRUCT REMOTE?"

"Relaaax!" Chris remained calm, hands on his hips, like nothing happened. While screams and gears flew around his surroundings. "It's all part of today's challenge. Besides, I'm actually a hologram!"

"WHAT? AGAIN?" Chef's jaw dropped after waving one hand through Chris's body, revealing static. Once he discovered that the conniving host left him under the bus again, he turned to face all the competitors. "ABANDON SHIP!" Chef rushed to the other cargo room, yanking a life jacket from the crate, slipping it tightly onto his chest, and leaped out the blimp like a frog, diving straight down to the ocean water.

All other contestants followed behind. A damp sense of adrenaline swiped through the entire rumbling room. Metals clanking. Winds gusting. Passengers rushing out the exit like sardines, jumping off with their life jackets hoping the ocean would not violently swoosh them away.

Before jumping off the blimp, Hailee gripped tight on the pieced-up door frame, pulling out her mini-binoculars in irritation while glaring at the second blimp; from afar, she witnessed a line of passengers leaping out of the blimp in the same fashion. Except, their blimp must have detonated first based on a majority of newcomers already floating on the darkly lit ocean.

Each competitor in the second blimp had no time to waste. Life jacket on. The exit door slammed open. Frog-leaps out of the sinking ship. So frantic, in fact, none of the contestants noticed Colton and Madison exiting the cockpit, screaming on top of their lungs to grab the passengers' attention. Or, at least, the remaining contestants that were still scavenging for life jackets.

"HEY!" Madison shouted. "YOUR DEAR HOST FORGOT TO MENTION PARACHUTES!" She gripped two brightly colored neon-green backpacks and held them up in the air. Of course, no one could hear her shouting.

"WHO CARES!" Colton shouted back. "IT'S FLY-AND-CRY TIME, MADI! WOOOOO!"

"UHB-AH… WHAT?" Madison suddenly shook her head in confusion. "DAD, STOP SIPPIN' YOUR FRISKY WHISKY AND MAKE IT MAKE SENSE!"

"NO TIME!" Colton chugged the entire bottle in his hand and dragged Madison out of the exit, jumping off while Colton rocked-on midair, activating their parachutes. "WOOOOO-HOOO!"

Junior glanced at Colton's brief daredevil stunt, rolling his eyes while grabbing a life jacket of his own, peeking out of the blasted exit. "Alright, dudes. I'm fine from here on out," he stopped his bodyguards from following him around, becoming the final competitor to leap out of the blimp as he swiftly dove to the water.

Once splashing onto the ocean, he looked behind, observing the blimp slowly descend as it burned into flames, while also noticing his two bodyguards flying across the sea with gliders. The first blimp on the other side of the island, however, silently glided down to the cliffside. No flames in sight. "Damn… did Chris really tried blowin' us up? First episode too?" He turned on a flashlight beaming out from his life jacket pocket, asking a random fellow competitor from behind. "Sadist Saturday, no kiddin', man."

Jacque spun around, careful enough not to drop his own flashlight into the water. Even from a few feet apart, Junior was barely visible without the flashlight. "D'you even know what show you on, man?" He raised an eyebrow. "You're in for some rude awakening. This that Total Drama type shit, know-what-I'm-sayin'?" And, out of nowhere, Jacque felt a rough splash of water attack him from behind.

"Like that, huh?" Cora swam to the side, splashing him again. "Do you know what show YOU on, man? Think you could get away slippin'? Attempting to steal my shit like I'm some dolly pushover? You're in for some rude awakening… know-what-I'm sayin'?" She barked angrily. "Got my eyes on you—"

"And I got my eyes on YOU!" A roaring voice caught the entire cast's attention. Beaming out of the center of the island, a colossal hologram emerged. Even the tourists from above the cliff spun around and looked up in utter awe. The bright neon-colored hologram was the ultimate spectacle for the night…

Indeed, a hologram of Chris McLean. Magnificent, he was.

"Holy." Even Duncan was impressed, looking up, jaw slightly dropped, still floating on the ocean, bundled with the rest of the contestants like drifting sardines.

"Didn't think McLean was the money man." Hunter remarked, sharing the same expression.

"Oh-yeah?" Duncan remarked. "Ya' don't say."

"Welcome!" Chris announced, hovering both arms in the air, showman style. "Welcome, all thirty-four of you! To Pahkitew Showdown! Cue audience cheers and epic-sinister background music!" The crowd of tourists cheered; their shouting echoed across the ocean water, audible enough for the contestants below from opposite sides of the island to catch wind of their wild ruckus from above. "Now… LET'S JUMP STRAIGHT TO THE ACTION! I call today's challenge… Island Over-Under." Suddenly, another hologram flashed, hovering over his head: a map of Pahkitew Island, displaying two different pathways. "Your first goal today… reach the checkpoint located in the center of the island, right on the dotted red. WITHOUT swimming ashore. You have two options; you can either… take the over path—A.K.A., climbing the steep mountain-cliff up ahead—OR, take the under path—A.K.A, swimming underneath the island through an entry-point tunnel that leads to a complex maze of metal corridors until you find the one-and-only red-painted ceiling hatch. Both paths are difficult, in their own ways…" he chuckled deviously.

"Of course, they are." Spencer muttered to himself.

"Yeah, no kidding." Sky shook her head, arms crossed in disapproval of Chris's return to madness. Most of her fellow competitors around her shared the same 'are-you-kidding-me' expression.

"ANYWAYS…" The host continued. "I can hear your constant blabbering from afar, so screw it! Let's kick in full gear! Jump straight to the showdown! ON YOUR MARKS! GET SET!" He pulled out a giant, ancient war horn, ready to blast noise through the night sky. "GOOOOO!"

As soon as all the competitors heard the menacing horn, they swam to the paths of their choice, scattering like fish escaping capture. From a bird's eye view, their rushing arms rippled the ocean on a grand scale. Flashlight beams wiggled all over the place. Thirty-four competitors split in two. Seventeen on one end of the island. Seventeen on the other end. Two giant ripples on opposite ends of the island. Two cliffs. Two mazes.

And two groups of competitors splitting off for the millions.

Pushing. Shoving. Splashing.

Some, "out of my way"'s.

Hard to see where to swim under the night sky. Even with flashlights, blind spots were imminent. The cliff straight ahead and the glowing tunnel underwater were still clearly visible, but of course, daytime preference. However, two contestants remained still. Calm, even. Staying afloat like a statue, observing their splashing surroundings.

"Like I ever thought Chris would change." Sky rolled her eyes, turning her head to the left to face the towering Jasmine.

"No kiddin'." The outbacker took a brief sniff, sensing the heavy metallic smell emanating from the island. "Same-ol', same-ol'," she sighed. "Welp, I suppose we're swimmin' back to our roots then," she hovered one hand over her mouth, giggling. "You're… you're not ticked over Shawn winnin', right?"

"It is what it is." She shrugged, still a slight touch of resentment deep within. "I mean, if you wanna team up, I'm okay with that!" She flashed a smile.

"Great!" Jasmine clapped Sky's hand, then pointed up ahead. "The tunnel route screams mayhem. Probably have to deal with robot bears again. Nooo, thanks."

"So… mountain?" Sky said.

"Mountain, it is!"

Suddenly, a large ripple of water splashed their backs, revealing a large figure with broad shoulders. "Hey gals!" Rodney waved, rubbing the back of his neck in blush. "Mind if I join your hike?"

"Mmm, o-kay." Jasmine nodded hesitantly. "Just… keep in mind, no funny business. I have a boyfriend. Cool?"

"Yes, ma'am!" He saluted, suddenly facing Sky. "Oh-hey, Sky! Question, are you—"

"Not interested. Sorry." She fired back with a slight frown, not wanting to upset him.

"O-kay." And just like that, he glared down at the water. But still, he remained optimistic. "Not what I wanted to ask. Well-I-uh… I did want to ask you something, but… that wasn't exactly the question I had in mind. It was a good question. A thought-provoking one, even. But… I'll… um, yeah, well, never mind. I'll save it after the challenge. Sorry. My bad, ladies." He facepalmed after stumbling on his own words. He then grinned like nothing awkward had just occurred. "After you, ladies?"

"Uh…" Sky's jaw slightly dropped in confusion, but then swiftly smiled back. "O-kay! Whatever makes you more comfortable!"

"Guys! Let's cut the filler and flip your competitive lights to full brightness! We got a second chance for the millions. We can't mess this one up!"

"Eye-eye, captain!" Sky saluted with a beam.

On the other side of the island's steep shore, panic ensued. While the competing Pahkitew cast members were already aware, prepared, and accustomed to the mayhem and chaos, some of the newbies already shook their heads in regret at signing up for Total Drama. Some were expecting a peaceful landing, not a sudden explosion.

"Guys-guys-GUYS!" Walter flailed his arms uncontrollably, hyperventilating and almost unable to catch a breath. Vocal cords sounded measly and weak by the second. "I-can't-breathe, I-can't-breathe! Please! Don't leave me!"

A splash of water rushed towards him. "Hey! Hey!" Reaching from behind, Cora gripped tight onto his slim shoulders, calming him down. "Relax. Breathe in… breathe out. Breathe in… breathe out."

Confessional:

Cora: As the first confessional user, she made herself comfortable, squeezing her butt onto the toilet before letting out a tight fart. Arms crossed, loose posture. Calm, casual grin; either confidence or arrogance. "Now, I gotta say… I feel—" she belched, suddenly sliding her shirt further down to cover her belly. "Like I was sayin'... I felt bad for the kid. Dude couldn't swim. But… at the same time, I'm competing for seven figures, so I can't be too nonchalant." She shrugged. "No biggie. He weighed like a volleyball. A flat one at that."

-[static]-

Walter: He crossed his arms, fully trembling in fear. "All my peeps left me, and I didn't know what to do! No-no one told me the first challenge would be either high cliffs or swimming! But, oh-what-a-coincidence, I hate both!" His eyes shifted all over the confessional uncontrollably, closing his nose shut upon sniffing a reeking smell. "Not to mention, it smells like a fart machine in here! Oh-what did I sign up for?"

-[static]-

Cora reached her sturdy arms inside his life jacket, holding him afloat. "You good, man? Need me to lift you up?"

"I'm-calm, I'm-calm. Yeah… I… I'm calm. C-calm now, y-yeah." Walter held her hands tight, while also attempting to cover up his flustered face, looking away. "Oh-gosh, this is embarrassing," he muttered. "I study Canadian law and love fedoras. I'm no stuntman! Not even an athlete! I prefer sitting down, reading up on the latest court cases while eating my spaghetti. Al dente, of course. Oh-I'd kill for some spaghetti right about now…"

"Not to kill the mood, but…" she pointed down underwater, still gripping his thin waist tight with one arm. "We're falling behind. Look below: they've already reached the entry point. We're gonna have to… go over."

"You don't mean…" as soon as Walter glanced high up towards the steep clifftop, his head dropped down, an immediate faint. Arms and legs loose and noodle-ly.

"Ah-great." Cora shook her head, no choice but to strap him behind like a backpack, using the black climbing rope found within her life jacket.

And away she swam, flashlight gripped tight by her teeth.

"Mmmm. Did I mention you have such throbbing shoulders, Frederick?" Uma wrapped her arms around Frederick's neck and shoulders, waist tied together by rope. She gripped tight as he ascended the cliff, each giant hand of his clamped onto jagged rock per leg raise. A few hidden droplets of sweat, but no visible struggle for the massive athlete.

"Thanks! You are so heartwarming, comforting, and wholesome!" He smiled with a bright, glowing glee on his face. "But you can call me Fridge! And… thank you again!"

"I should be thanking you, hunk-face." She chuckled raspingly, before leaning over her lips close to his left ear. "In fact," she whispered seductively, nibbling her lower lip. "How should I repay you?"

"Har-har-har! No need!" Fridge briefly paused the climb. "Well, if you insist, I could use some cold water after we finish the hike. I'm growing thirsty!"

"Water?" Uma giggled, playfully kicking the air. "Okay, hot stuff. Cold water, it is." She petted his black hair, looking to her right. "Woohoo! How you boys doin'?" She blew a playful kiss.

"Not too shabby." Preston dusted rocks off his white uniform; he gripped tight on a pointy rock with one hand, readjusting his flashlight. Looking down, tremendous progress was made; they were already halfway up. "Looks like I will be cooking up a midnight dinner for all of us tonight."

"That's only if…" Jacque panted, catching up to the squad with half-effort climbs. "If we end up on the same team." He breathed heavily again. "Man, I haven't had this crazy of a workout since the time I ran miles from a wacko street hustler."

"What for?" Preston raised an eyebrow.

"For outhustling that idiot. It's crazy out there, man."

"Hey, uh-guys?" Fridge timidly raised his hand before pointing downward. "Those three below are catching up quick. Just wanted to point that out!" He smiled.

Jacque glanced down, sighing. "Well, I'll be damned."

Confessional:

Jacque: "Man, I did not expect some skinny, popstar-lookin' emo with black hair down below to out-compete me." He rested his elbows onto his knees, pondering. "This season's gonna be a lot more… competitive than I thought. Damn… and here, I thought that wacko street hustler was the most cracked I've ever seen…"

-[static]-

And with no time to waste, Rival sped up his climb upon hearing Jacque's distraught exhaustions from above, smirking. Not even the misaligned flashlight flickering all over the rocks distracted him from the mission: to reach the top first.

Well, at least no distractions for as long as he could.

"Boo!" Shun hung down, with one hand holding tight onto a metallic pole. Only a slight gasp, but not much reaction from Rival. A half-jumpscare. "Boop!" She poked his nose. "Not to stick my pointy nose into your business, but yo! I can see that us three would make sick ultra-ULTRA leaders! We should form a pack! So long as you're half-wolf." She laughed, snortling. "I'm-kiddin'-I'm-kiddin'. Or… unless you are half-wolf. Then that makes two of you. Just don't forget to howl once we're at the top. AHH-WOOOOOO!"

"Wait, us two?" Rival scratched his head. "Who else are you referring to—" And before he could blink, a snappy tap on his left shoulder caught him off-guard. Thinking it was a spider, he slapped his shoulder, before turning to his right. And this time… this time, he got spooked. Spooked by the competitor's spider-like stance.

"Boo." Ben grinned ecstatically. No flashlight in sight for the night owl. "Such an amazing night. Just… look at those stars!" He pointed upwards. No sweat visible for the climber, holding onto the rock with flowing ease. "Too bad they're half-obscured by those dang neon lights. I should've carried a telescope along with me now that I think about it. Hm. That's a regret that'll definitely linger with me throughout my time here." He rubbed his chin before shaking his head. "Should've thought it all through before taking those darn daytime naps. Silly me."

Rival nodded continuously, unable to match both their energetic thrills, so instead, he flashed a simple smile. "Night skies make for some interesting romantic getaways." He winked, reaching his palm out. "Name's Emiya."

"Ben!" He shook his hand repeatedly and rapidly. A hyper-sugary gesture, almost like he sipped cans of energy drinks before the climb. "Although, romance is… not my thing, you can bet I'll be picnicking every night! So long as we stray from those ugly-looking neon lights."

"Whaa? Count me in, dudes!" Shun interjected in between them. "Name's Shun. But Benny here already knew that. HA! Anyways… time to stop bubblin' about! Looks like I got… competition!" She winked.

"Likewise." Rival winked back before continuing his climb in a scurry. "See ya two on top!"

"Way ahead of ya! Let's roll." Ben flipped his oversized hoodie on, climbing in full, laser-focused concentration, beating Rival at his own game as he scraped dust onto his hair with his white trainers.

Confessional:

Ben: "I feel… SO much more revitalized!" He slammed his fist into his palm, smiling giddily. "Emiya seems like a nice guy. And Shun is… energetic. Which… I can now match! Just give me the moon and I'll be jolly as a wolf!" He crossed his arms. "Still, I don't want to underestimate either competitor. Both seem very driven. AND athletic. I want to play it more… lowkey. I prefer laying in the shadows, as you can see." He pointed to himself in a smile, highlighting his dull dark-gray outfit. "Alright," he shrugged. "That's all I got. It's smelly here, but meh, I'm used to it. Anyways, yeah, okay, no more talking. Full-night mode. I'm ready." He flipped his hoodie onto his head. "Let's roll."

-[static]-

Finally, arrival.

As the final entry point into the cold rectangular tunnels closed shut, the handful group of competitors dried themselves; they twirled and squeezed their soaking shirts as splashes of water plopped onto the metallic floor like buckets.

Some emptied water out of their shoes. A few coughed up the remaining water stuck in their throats. And others took a quick breather as they rested their backs onto the wall. But at least the corridors were brightly lit up, rendering the flashlights useless.

At least, for now…

"Unbelievable." Hailee shook her head, observing the contestants around her: Amy, Samey, Beardo, Nanci, and Kiara. Still, she could not believe the absolute demotion.

"Ugh! This is YOUR fault, Samey!" Amy lightly shoved her away. "I almost got bitten by some robot piranha. As the better twin—a.k.a., ME—you were supposed to guard me!"

"Ugh!" Samey fumed, puffing out smoke. "Like I care if you get swallowed by a shark."

"Hey, um… guys?" Nanci walked in between them awkwardly, raising both her hands halfway and timidly. "I-um… maybe let's not fight and save it for… therapy?" She winced, knowing it ticked off Amy.

"And who are YOU?" She gagged. "Ugh, un-bordel, much?"

"What?"

As the three continued sharing mean stares, Kiara leered from a distance, leaning her back in an arms-crossed posture.

Confessional:

Kiara: "Sweet little Nanci stepping into, like, a mess of wannabe sorority girls." She readjusted her tiara before glaring at her nails. Acting high and mighty. "Typical. My daddy's a businessman. He would, like, always lecture me on… letting the needy savages fight it out. Like, some people are just born uncivilized and unprivileged. It's the truth." She smirked.

-[static]-

"Ahem." Kiara cleared her throat upon noticing the sound machine staring at her from the other wall, wincing as she observed his dirty clothes. "Need something?"

No response from Beardo, aside from a nervous train whistle, looking away awkwardly.

"Ugh. Weirdo." She muttered under her breath before a tall blonde suddenly walked past her angrily. "And, like, oh-wow, look. It's the Bakuhatsu diva herself… wearing no shoes."

Hailee could care less over Kiara's remarks, sternly carrying both her heels with one hand as she traversed barefoot to the other side of the corridor. Reaching to a back door, she stabbed the hinge using her heel, attempting to slide open the door.

"Ugh. Barbarian."

Hailee rolled her eyes. "I'm accessing the mainframe. This show is beneath me." She pulled out the remaining keys she had left after the blimp drop, swiftly inserting each key one by one. But no matter how many tries, it was wrong key after wrong key. She could not stand the constant dangling of her keyrings any longer. "I'm impatient. Screw it," she muttered, slicing a piece of her heel using a personal pocketknife, as she slid the piece inside the keyhole. Lockpicking attempt, with a few turns and pokes. Some guesses tossed in the mix.

Nonetheless, Kiara looked at her like a fool.

"And now, you broke your own heels. How. Professional." Kiara teased in mimic fashion, arms-crossed with a smirk.

"Kiara, you are far beneath my level of care—" And with one final tuck, she heard a switch; the door creaked open, slowly revealing darkness inside.

Hailee made her way inside, sliding and locking the door shut. Light switches flipped on. Random assortments of screens and buttons flickered dim screen lights throughout the control room. But she kept focus, scanning for any sign of a telephone or comms line.

She grinned; fortunately for her, the comms line was at the smack-center of the control panel below the surveillance footage.

She pressed the red button. "Greetings. Can anyone hear me?"

"Who's this?"

Hailee instantly recognized that gruff voice. "Chef, can you bring Chris McLean on the line please?"

"Uh… is that you, Madison?"

"What?" Her eyelid twitched. "Just dial up Chris, will ya?"

"Chris!" Chef's shouting echoed from afar. "I think it's Madi."

"Oh-for goodness's sake," she muttered, pinching her eyebrows.

"Yes, Madi?" Chris answered, annoyed.

"How on earth can you confuse my voice with Madison's?" Hailee fired back, fully irked. "Never mind the unprofessionalism, our voices sound nothing alike! An utmost-rookie mistake from a long-running host. You should know better."

"Hailee Friarwood? What a surprise." Chris chuckled. "You should get back to the challenge. You're losing momentum." He teased.

"No…" She retorted. "I need you to ring up my father. Pronto."

"No can do." He teased, growing impatient. "Hey! Your father is a crucial investor in the McShaw business. I won't let you spoil my sweet-sweet revenue stream!"

"Well, in that case…" She opened a drawer underneath the panel, revealing classified information on Chris's prior whereabouts and juicy secrets. All conveniently secured within a folder. What a coincidence. "F47: Documentation of McLean Ruse. Let's see what this folder has in store for us—"

"OKAY-OKAY!" The host screamed in terror. "Transferring the call. Happy now?"

"Wonderful. I'm content." She waited through the phone ringing. Long-winded. Typical. Pretending to be busy, she thought…

"Hello?"

"Dad, explain why on earth you demoted me behind my back?" She hissed, leaning her mouth closer to the speaker. "This is not only unprofessional, but also impractical. And quite frankly, utterly moronic."

"Okay-listen, I don't have time to explain myself right now, but trust me; there's a clear-cut, long-term plan. It's beneficial AND a worthwhile investment for both of us. You need to see the bigger picture and think outside the box here for a sec, will ya?"

"Go on, explain yourself." She rolled her eyes.

"Look, I know you prefer to maneuver behind-the-scenes, but you need to rethink this for a bit and consider the vast opportunities and possibilities coming your way, competing as a star competitor, in a hit reality TV show. Hell, I've invested big-time in this Pahkitew venture. You'll practically be competing in, like… something akin to home turf. Do you want more eyeballs for your future endeavors? You want a better shot at economic versatility? This is, quite literally, a gold mine you refuse to partake in. And I don't have the energy nor time to argue my point with you. There's nothing sweeter than mutually beneficial business."

"Nice pitch." Hailee sneered. "This screams like one of your failed business ventures. Don't forget, I had to save you from near-bankruptcy."

"Look, just… try this whole competition thing for me, will ya, please? Literally, there's nothing to lose if you compete. Promise I'll make it up to you—"

Immediately, Hailee hung up the call, hands in her pockets as she leaned onto the wall. She pulled out her bottle of water, slowly chugging it entirely. At that point, she had no use for her other remaining heel, tossing it across the room, swishing it into the mesh-metal trash basket. But even without shoes, her feet could not feel the icy-cold metal floor. Only a pile of planning was all she could ponder about, staring into the darkness of the control room alone before taking one last sip of her water…

MID-CHAPTER BREAK

Grab a coffee! Or… take a quick break! This is a loooong chapter, so consider this a bookmark. Oh! And make sure you drink lots of water!

Okay! Ready? Sweet! Now back to the episode…

"Follow me, minions!"

Max tiptoed through the underground corridors; Hunter, Duncan, and Daniela closely followed behind, casually walking with unimpressed faces stuck throughout the entire maze of rooms.

They passed room after another. The doors seemingly locked; Hunter checked each passing handle. Twisting each knob. Locked. He felt the pin tumbler locks and all its clockwork intricacies. His skin sensed the vibrations. A natural talent for the petty thief.

"Damn. They got all doors uncrackable to the max." Hunter blurted out. "So much for accessing the control room, yo."

"Who cares." Duncan retorted with a smirk. "Dude, you think McLean would hide any valuables inside this metal junk? I blew his cottage down! Bro, he'd be a fool if he stored his artwork down here."

"Wow. You're so cool…" Daniela yawned, stretching her arms out. "Big boy jail must've been like your little reyno." She teased, reaching her hand over to his mohawk for a playful heap-and-sweep.

"Oh-absolutely, babe." Duncan flashed a flirting smirk. "La prisión me enseñó muy bien el español." He even got the accent convincing enough, sprinkled with his own macho-braggadocio flair.

"A huevo." Daniela had a flashy-chilled grin on her face, followed by a playful, raspy chuckle. "And here, I thought Hunter was 'el rey'." She laughed.

"Yo!" Hunter turned around. "I heard that… YO! Hear-me-out; at least, you can confirm… that I'm a hella-sexy kisser with off-the-charts killer ground game."

Hunter's cockiness forced another teasing chuckle out of Daniela. "Dude, dude, I've kissed dorks with better passion than your boring-ass 'ground game'."

"Ooo!" Duncan laughed, slapping his knee.

"SILENCE!" Max shouted, briefly pausing his strut.

Confessional:

Max: He held his arms crossed sternly, glaring at the camera. "Evil Max has absolute zero patience for love-stricken simpletons! Been there, done that. It's a TRAP!" He slammed both fists on the wooden platform. "Love is but a waste. Magnificent EVIL minds like me have no time for… love." He yucked.

-[static]-

Duncan: "I should've ditched Total Drama a looong time ago." He crossed his arms. "Hunter's cool. Daniela too. But I'm far out from all the petty drama. Too old to care. Just here for the ride. And the big check. And the spotlight. And then… I'm OUT!"

-[static]-

"BA-HA-HA!" Duncan laughed maniacally, pulling out his knife. "Wedgie part two, blade boogaloo…"

"NO!" Max stood his ground, pointing at him sharply. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH! EVIL MAX WILL NO LONGER STAND FOR THIS CHICANERY!"

His overly dramatic shouting echoed throughout the corridors, rumbling the metal walls. Unbeknownst to the group's nonchalant idleness, the doors behind them suddenly slammed open, bending the walls upon impact. Soon after another, robot bears exit their hibernation chambers, skin fully shredded. Only their hunky robotic skeletons remained. Red eyes glowing alarmingly, full-terror mode. Claws in the air ready to attack as the swarm of robots plunged forward.

"Holy bananas." Duncan froze in shock. "McLean really is the money man now."

"Oh-yeah?" Hunter shared a similar shock, jaw slightly open while looking in awe. "Ya don't say?"

"Boys!" Daniela shouted up ahead, already dashing out of frame. "Get-a-movin', dorks!"

"ARGH! ARGH! ARGH! ARGH! ARGH!"

Layered smack-flat on Arnold's pirate shenanigans, Alexander played a disorderly, out-of-tune melody on his flute. Purposely obnoxious like geese-screaming voice cracks, ricocheting onto the cold, metallic walls ahead. Faded baby-blue steel painted the tunnels. Uninviting and near desolate. Unnervingly empty, aside from the numerous cameras spread through each corridor, blinking an ominous red dot. Always recording, and always watching…

Spencer closed his ears shut. Palms squeezing the side of his head tightly. Tired of his peer's tomfoolery in an attempt to rile him up. Meanwhile, Dawn stood furthest from the group, hands in her pockets as she quietly observed his frustrations.

Deserving, the two rambunctious goofs thought. After all, they were just blowing steam…

"YOU CALL THIS… BLOWING STEAM?" Spencer shouted over all the ruckuses. "HOW 'BOUT YOU TWO QUIET IT DOWN, WILL YA? BEFORE YOU WAKE THE ROBOTS!"

"Hmm…" Alexander briefly paused, playfully smirking. "After all your micromanaging last season, my friend and I deserve adequate compensation, but alas…" he flipped his wavy hair in dramatic fashion. "Letting our auras free from constraints will have to do…" And immediately after, he pulled his flute out, playing a fast-paced tune, almost sounding like low-pitched bubbles blowing into a soda cup from a straw.

"YARR!" Arnold swung his plastic sword toward Spencer's face, poking his nose slightly. "The pied piper is right! After yer' unfair treatment, we decided to treat ourselves with music and jolly goodness! SHAKAMA-POW!"

Confessional:

Spencer: He stood upright, arms crossed. Displeased and deadpanned. "And to think I could finally catch a break from Arnold's… pfft." He shook his head. "Oh-how wrong I was. And how foolish to think I could amend whatever I had left with Nanci. It's sad, really. But I want to move on. To find closure on that… mess-of-a-mess." He grimaced. "Kinda hard to find closure when you have a yippity-yappity pirate and an obnoxious musician performing an orchestra right in front of your face!"

-[static]-

Arnold: "ARGH!" He chuckled, sliding his plastic sword right under his belt. "I was just horsin' around! Just giving Spencer a taste of pirate pain. On purpose, of course!" He laughed. Compared to his youthful-sounding voice on his debut appearance, his voice took a slight, but noticeable puberty hit, with more touches of voice cracks and less sounding like a young boy. "This season, things will be much different! Thy captain will become more vigilant. More cautious. AND more piratey! I've received a call for a movie role. Pirate themed. MY forte. So, I will method-act even harder than last season. Towards the millions AND a lead role for the movie. Consider this my audition. Two for thee price of one, matey! YARR!"

-[static]-

"Too bad this maze houses unpredictable treachery, or I would've left your guys' antics ages ago." Spencer rolled his eyes, hands stuffed in his pockets. "Just what I needed." He muttered. "To be the butt of all jokes."

"Seems to me that your stress levels are climbing." Dawn calmly approached him from behind, delicately touching his shoulders. The sense of sudden touch spooked him, turning back to face her, eyebrow raised.

"Stressed? No-no, I don't think that's accurate." He crossed his arms. "A little… invasive on personal space, don't ya think?"

"I just couldn't help but notice your worried soul." Dawn smiled calmly, holding both her hands between her chest. "Your time in this hostile environment can pivot to blissful desires, only if you loosen your caged heart from the pressures and powers that be."

"I… have no idea what you just said."

Dawn reached over to his right hand, delicately holding it in between her two palms. "Your aura is latching onto the past, when the best course of action is to let go."

Spencer swiftly pulled his hand back; uncomfortable he was, with a touch of furrowed brows. "Yeah… no. I… yeah. This is my cue to walk away now. I walk, um-err… yeah, walking away now…" He awkwardly sped his stroll in full grimace. At that point, he felt more comfortable dealing with Arnold's antics than Dawn's creepy fostering.

At least, for now…

"HOLY HELL!" Junior panted, resting briefly as he waited for the rest of his groupmates to catch up, running full sprint from the terrifying roars of robot bears. Mechanical mayhem of harsh metals clashing into each other. Garbled glitches straight out of the bears' vocal cords. Almost like they were rotting away from all the time spent dormant in the storage department, waiting patiently to wreak havoc.

"Wait up, skinny pretzel!" Wane gasped for air once he caught up to Junior, resting his greasy hands on the pop-star's shoulders. Disgusted Junior was, immediately pulling himself away from the slob.

"Maybe don't drool on my hoodie, man. This ain't no house party." He crossed his arms stiffly.

"My ass-crack could care less. WA!" Unfortunately for me, his arms were too sore to reach his bottom for a self-scratch. A pestering itch lingered, and he was desperate to relieve himself from the annoyance. "Speakin' of ass-crack, my buns need replenishing! Scratch away, my pretty!" He bent over, arms and feet planted to the ground in a yoga position. Astonishingly flexible he was. Even petrifying Junior.

"What the… fuuuuuu—"

"Hey dudes!" From across the other side of the hallway, Dylan ran towards the two boys. Exhausted and wet from all the prior swimming. "Which way's the checkpoint? Anyone's got a clue?"

"Don't know, but we gotta dip." Junior muttered loudly with caution, pointing backwards with his thumb. "We gotta rush inwards. I've been keepin' track of our sense of direction. Chris said the checkpoint was dab-straight at the island center. And he mentioned the exit point was some kind of roof hatch. We keep our eyes peeled and look for a hatch."

"What about the rest of the group?" She perked an eyebrow.

"Best if we don't risk gettin' mauled by bears. Besides…" In a sudden rush, Junior reached his hand over, delicately holding her hand in smooth swiftness, grinning in a slight blush. "I gotchu. No worries."

"Uhh…" Dylan quickly pulled her hand back, frozen in befuddlement. "Let's just… wait for the rest to come through. Cool?"

"Oh. Yeah… aight." He scratched the back of his head, shuffling his feet as he glanced down. "Sorry."

Confessional:

Junior: "Man, what was I thinkin'?" He facepalmed. "I gotta contain myself. But, like… I had to shoot my shot, ya'-know? I thought she looked interested. And.. and she's pretty." He blushed slightly. "But… yeah, whatever man."

-[static]-

Wane: "Wa-ha-ha…" He smirked cartoonishly, twirling his mustache while arching his legs. "A young, naive boy who sucks at the art of love. This is going to be interesting…" After a few seconds of silence, he farted, blasting the toilet with visible green gas. With some unexpected leakage. "Uh-oh. Not again."

-[static]-

"You guys still there?" And just like that, the distant roaring vanished. The last three left behind from the group popped into vision, stepping out of the corridor corner and sprinting towards Dylan, Junior, and Wane.

"Great. More stinkers. Waaa-aah." Wane whined.

"Viola, Keesha, and… Cory, right?" Dylan guessed, gritting.

"Carter."

Keesha glanced around and up ahead, rubbing her forehead with her finger. "You guys seen Walter?"

"Who?" Dylan scratched her head.

"The kid dressed like an old man, right?" Junior leaned his back onto the wall, hands stuffed in his hoodie pockets. "Think he got stranded behind, strugglin' to swim. Shucks." He shrugged.

"Oh dear." Viola rubbed the back of her wet hair in worry. "That's quite a predicament. But… we need to move forward. Off-chance a Good Samaritan drifted him off the ocean."

"Look, Keesha…" Carter rested one hand on her shoulder, easing her doubt. "I understand we leave no man behind. But… a challenge is a challenge."

Confessional:

Carter: "I don't often do pep talks, but…" He crossed his arms, boots firmly planted onto the floor. "I sense a major disturbance festering in our group. Why was Keesha so worried over Walter? He wasn't abandoned on purpose, right? No…" He rubbed his chin. "And Dylan looked irritated. What's up with that?" He looked away from the camera. "Viola seemed too eager to move ahead with the objective. And… I agree with her. But… huh. Why her? She appeared super-generous beforehand. Oh-and how could I forget Wane's hidden smirk. And Junior's nonchalant-ness." He sighed. "Am I paranoid? Maybe. But I can't outright ditch the group and solo the challenge. As capable as I would be, it's not the best idea to leave them unchecked. Someone needs to stay vigilant…"

-[static]-

Footsteps. Sudden footsteps disturbed the brief piece. Carter had let go of Keesha's shoulders, glaring straight ahead with attentive posture. Combat ready, he clenched his fist. Left foot forward and right foot slid back. He was ready to defend…

Until…

"Hey-ya!" Eliza popped her head out from the corridor corner, dangling her sleepy blonde hair. "Sorry. Melissa and I were lost. Very lost."

Melissa timidly poked her head out behind Eliza, revealing only her shy eyes. "H-hi." She waved swiftly.

"Great. Now it's eight of us…" Carter mumbled to himself, before forcing a friendly tone. "Okay. Um…" He glanced behind awkwardly, as everyone else shrugged in response. "Our group… isn't looking for new peeps at the moment. Best if we go our separate ways—"

"What?" Keesha chuckled, resting one hand on his near-trembly shoulder. "There's no rule forcing cliques. Come! Feel free to join us! The more, the merrier!" She grinned gleefully.

"Oh-sweeeet." Eliza walked towards the group; her head leaning slightly forward in a tired posture as she kept her hands behind her back. "We were… backtracking. Looking for one of Melissa's gadgets. She dropped it accidentally. Anyone here seen it, by any chance?"

"It's, um…" Melissa crossed her legs, staring down the floor as she rubbed the back of her neck. "It's, th-the, it's… it's an EMP device. Used sp-specifically as a fail-safe for my other inventions i-in case they, um… th-they go…"

"Ka-blouwy?" Eliza helped her out in a delicate smile, mimicking an explosion with her expressive hands.

"Y-yes. Ka-blouwy." Melissa giggled quietly, hand covering her mouth.

Carter, however, raised an eyebrow. Could not make sense of their sudden appearance. Nor their peculiar circumstances. "Um… why did you bring an EMP device to the challenge?"

Melissa looked back down, trembling by the slight confrontation. "I-I, um…"

"It was an accident." Eliza butted in, grinning awkwardly. "She thought it was her Auto-Clothes remote."

"Y-yeah." Melissa smiled.

"Wha… what does it do?" Junior grew curious.

"Like it says on the bin." Eliza yawned, stretching her arms. "Just like that. Instantaneous clothes on herself with the push of a button. And… a reverse button."

"Eliza!" Melissa blurted out in a whisper, fully flustered and blushing bright-red.

"Oh." Dylan chuckled, knuckles leaning onto her lips as she hid her laughter. "How does THAT work?"

"Guys." Carter walked ahead. "We can't afford further distractions. We need to stay focused on the challenge. We're losing precious time—"

And just like that, the lights went out. Almost pitch-black. With the accompanying sounds of machinery shutting down like a loud vacuum cleaner. Over a packed group of trembling fear. Everyone glanced around frantically, panicked by the sudden spook. No visibility whatsoever.

"WAAAAA! Who turned off the gravy?" Before Wane thought of making a run for it, he crawled around, patting everyone's pockets. Checking for loose change.

"Dylan?" Junior raised an eyebrow before sneaking in a smile. "Is that you?"

"What?"

"WA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" Wane stole his dripping-wet wallet, dashing as far away from the group as his eyes could see.

Climb after climb. Step after step. She could feel the final steps of rock on her roughed-up palms, and she made one last pull, feeling the sturdy edge of grass and gravel on her fingertips.

"YESSS!" Jasmine leaped forward, celebrating with a raised fist and a shout down the cliff. "I MADE IT UP! How you two holdin' up?"

"Almost there!" Sky shouted back, waiting for Rodney's trembling self to catch up. As she stood still, she readjusted her flashlight with one hand, refocusing the glitchy beam. "Rodney! You good?"

"I'm fine, ladies," he grunted in utter exhaustion, clothes dripping from sweat. "You two can just… jump ahead. I'll…" He panted heavily. "I'll catch up!"

"Sky!" Jasmine waved her arm around. "Think you could catch up fast enough?"

"I can! I don't know about Rodney though!" And with the remaining gas in her tank, she made one final push forward, climbing as fast as she could. Grabbing onto one sharp rock after the other. Breathing in and out fiercely. Scraping her sneakers onto the cliff, but no worry on her end. All she had in mind… was the finish line.

Amazed and inspired by Sky's determination, Rodney nodded in a comforting smile, speeding up his climb as he closed the remaining gap between him and Sky within seconds.

And just like that, Sky made it to the top. Both feet planted onto the grass. She celebrated with hops of hurrays as Rodney's hand gripped onto the edge right afterwards.

"Sweet!" She pointed ahead, revealing multiple dirt bikes, with rolled-up maps snuggled between each left handlebar. "And look! Ten bikes! Ripe for the taking!"

"Let's go?" Rodney flashed a smile towards Sky, who grinned happily in response.

"Oh-yeah! LET'S GO! WOOOOO!"

"OUT OF MY WAY!"

And with no time to waste, Cora shoved Jacque's shoulders, rushing forward with no hesitation to make enemies with wrongdoers.

"Yo! What's your problem? You on somethin'?" And without hesitation, Jacque gripped Walter's sleeping leg tight, pulling Cora back as she slipped a few steps down.

"Oh-you jackass!" Cora grew angrier, rushing forward before briefly stopping, noticing two other dudes to her left climbing right past her, racing to the top. "And-oh-would you look at that! You got us behind!"

Jacque laughed. "Ooo, like it's my fault."

Rival glanced down, sharing a chuckle with Ben as they continued their speedy climb upward. "They'd make a cute couple."

"Oh-definitely. Like two beaming stars." Ben laughed again. But… he noticed something odd. Something alarming: slipping out of Rival's left pocket, a knife blade poked out. With a touch of red stains right on the tip. Could it be? Noooo, he thought. His night owl mind probably imagined things. But… could it still be? "So…" he panted quietly. "When Shun said you were another fellow wolf, what does she mean by that?"

"What?" Rival scratched his head, taking a quick breather. "She was joking. Probably." He winked teasingly.

Ben flipped his hoodie back on, not buying into Rival's playful casualness. "Have you ever heard the phrase, 'wolf in sheep's clothing'?"

"Uhh, hasn't everyone?" He laughed.

"As a night owl, you must always be attentive. Wolves' in sheep's clothing are found where you least expect it. Precautionary tale. Always told, but always forgotten."

"Ben… Shun was just making a joke."

"Was she?"

Rival contained his laughter. He could not help it. In situations like these, a joke just had to be said. "You're right. I'm totally the wolf. Inside a sheep. I guess that makes me… a double furry." He winked, before cracking a half-suppressed giggle.

"I knew it." And in an instant, Ben kicked Rival's left knee, tripping him as he slipped downwards. The night owl flipped his hoodie out of his head, then flipped it back on in dramatic fashion, looking down with a serious look. "Sorry Emiya, but you forced my hand. Pushed me towards the dark side. Hope you understood the choices made here."

"Ow, my back…" A few meters down, Rival rubbed his back with one hand before letting out a chuckle. "Oh-Batman Ben, you broke my heart. Oh-you magnificent bastard!" He shouted back sarcastically.

"Sorry, Rival…" Ben cleared his throat. "But you're on my watchlist now. Best we stay…"

"Rivals?" Rival chuckled before throwing out a teasing wink. Then, a sudden thought smacked him in the face, stunned… "Wait-a-sec, I never shared my Rival name. How'd you know?"

"Let's roll." Ben muttered to himself, full-serious confidence, continuing with his goat-like upward leaps.

"Hey, guys?" Nanci tiptoed ahead of the group, sliding her back against the wall to reach the turning point of the tunnel. She peeked her head out to her left, glancing at the next line of hallway; an ominous darkness growled from the other side, near her vicinity. The ceiling lights slowly faded into black the further steps she took.

Until she realized maybe continuing onwards to the sinister hallway was not such a good idea.

"Ugh!" Kiara whined, tilting her head upwards in frustration. "How 'bout, like, you let me lead. 'Kay?"

Beardo chimed in with an awkward whistling nod before Amy butted in, arms crossed. "Ugh! Who elected you team captain?"

"Ex-cuse me?" Kiara raised her eyebrow. "And… who are you? Like, yeah, okay, I don't remember, like, asking."

"I could ask the same thing." She hissed back sassily, rolling her eyes. "Ugh, you know what? I'm parting ways. SAMEY! You're comin' with!"

"Ugh, go shove a croissant, sis." Samey fired back, hands on her hips. "I'm done following orders. Haven't you learned by now? Or do you need a second round of therapy to get through that thick head of yours?"

Beardo whistled again, this time, in shock.

"Beardo, shut it!" Amy shushed.

"Wow." Kiara leaned her back against the wall, arms crossed with a smirk. "Family drama, am I right?" She muttered to Nanci, who shook her head in response.

"Hey, um… guys?" Nanci called their attention, intervening in their sibling fight. "Maybe we should backtrack and find another way?"

"Ugh, no way!" Amy bleh-ed. "We've done enough backtracking already. We have flashlights. Let's put them to good use."

"I'm with Nanci on this one." Kiara stepped in front; arms kept crossed with the smuggest strut. "Let's be, like, realistic here… we could be, like, running into a trap. I'd say we circle to the last turning point and, like, take the alternate path."

"Count me in!" Samey leaped towards the two, flashing a quick smirk back at the irked Amy. "Three-against-one, sis! How'd you like that?"

Following Amy's growl, Beardo raised his hand in a 'ding-ding-ding' sound effect. The usual Beardo shenanigans.

"Great." Kiara briefly smirked, before swiftly shifting into an enthusiastic grin. "So, that makes it, like… a four-to-one vote. Sorry, Amy. That's democracy for ya'. Nanci's, like, a smart girl. Very smart. Don't underestimate her sharpness." She turned her head to face Nanci, flashing a bright smile.

However, Nanci kept her stance tight, arms crossed. Not fully buying into her quick turnaround.

Confessional:

Nanci: She stuffed her hands in her pockets, eyes befuddled. "I'm sorry, but um… why is Kiara suddenly so nice to me? I, um… I understand our brief little alliance back in Bakuhatsu, but… this feels so forced. So fake. So obviously fake. And yet… so typical Kiara." She shook her head in a chuckling smile. "Now I'm curious what she's up to. Probably another fake-friendly alliance to one-up Amy. Or to buy votes. Or both! Just a guess from your one-and-only, awkward alternative-rock-enjoyer!" She giggled.

-[static]-

Samey: "Those two seem nice!" She gripped both her kneecaps with her palms, grinning. "Oh-thank goodness! I don't have to deal with Amy's bullying alone. Not anymore!" She sighed in smiling relief. "And… I guess Beardo's back. Kinda… weird? And… and… I thought there was one other person in our group. Blonde hair. Really tall. But… she just… vanished? I wonder where she went…"

-[static]-

"Hey, um… guys?" Nanci slowly raised her hand. "Anyone seen where Hailee went? Maybe that could clue us in with a, um… possible exit point?"

Amy raised an eyebrow, shaking her head in utter confusion. "Who?"

The air around her frosted cold. Almost like a malfunction shivered within the inner mechanism of the island maze; the troffer lights above flickered white and dissonant, buzzing monotonously. Without shoes nor sweaters, Hailee powered through the dimming hallways, strolling down with irked determination. Her face; stone-cold, yet furrowed brows and a stern poker-face with a touch of frown.

The only thought on her mind was finding her way out of this mess.

She continued walking, speeding her footsteps upon hearing voices from the left turn ahead. Her back leaned against the wall, sliding forward to peek her left ear off the corner, eavesdropping…

"See? Told ya' it wasn't a fluke. All thanks to Evil Max's ingenuity." He pointed at his forehead in an eevil smirk.

"Wow." Daniela played along, fanning her face in a teasing, but mocking manner. "Oh-noooo. Your eeee-vilness. It's soooo hot. Careful now. Almost wetted my shorts, dude!" She giggled, then laughed as she slapped her knee.

"Why, this is just the appetizer, m'lady." He smirked, hands behind his back. "Stick by me. For Evil Max has… meticulous plans. Plans that would ensure future victories. Stored for later use, of course."

Confessional:

Max: "The old Max would've been enchanted by a woman's touch. But this time…" he laughed a quietly subtle, yet sinister laugh. Rubbing his hands vigorously. "THIS time, things will be different. For example, Evil Max will use his natural charisma and sexy brains to his advantage. I got Daniela falling all over me, right by my fingertips. Just as planned, of course. And then… SNAP! Betrayal!" He crossed his arms, eyes shut arrogantly with his head high up. "Pure diabolical. She won't even see it coming…"

-[static]-

Daniela: She stifled her chuckle, both legs resting on the seat. "Dude actually thinks I got the hots for him." She laughed. "It's cool though. I'm chillin'. I just think it's kinda' funny. My brother Jorge is probably watchin', so yo! Jorge!" She smirked playfully toward the camera. "See? Told ya. First episode, and I proved your ass wrong. This time, three boys are crushin' over me. On the FIRST episode. New-record, dudes!" She flashed a boastful, but playful peace sign.

-[static]-

"So…" Daniela briefly glanced at the exit point above; a latch wide-open, revealing neon lights glimmering through. A metal ladder stuck to the wall, waiting to be climbed as her hand gripped tight on the handle, raising both her eyebrows teasingly at Max. "Are we goin' up? Or are we goin' to keep staring at each other awkwardly?" She chuckled.

"After you, m'lady."

She shrugged in a teasing smile, climbing up to the very top. Surprisingly deep, she continued stepping upward, gripping each handlebar, one by one. The neon lights grew brighter and prettier. Dust particles crunched and slid into the tunnel; she spat the dirt that accidentally made its way into her mouth upon finally making her way up the grass.

Finally, the very first winners. Ripe for the taking.

"Damn." Hunter scratched his head. "We lost Dani, yo."

"Plenty of fish in the sea, dude." Duncan retorted, so nonchalant and couldn't care less.

Both continued strolling down a straight path of nothing. Just gray walls. Gray metallic walls, cold as usual. The troffer lights around them flickered ecstatically, one after the other like white holiday lights. And not an ounce of sound, except for their clanking footsteps.

"Although…" Duncan pondered, glancing at the ceiling. "I can't lie… she's one hot babe. A true keeper."

"Yo. Wait… ayo!" Hunter elbowed his shoulder piercingly; bro-banter. "Lay off, man! Here me out: I'll let you have your turn after my make out sesh, yo."

"HA!" Duncan mocked in a lively smirk. "Let's bet on it, man. Whoever captures her heart first, gets all the glory." He pulled out his fist, waiting for a bro-bump.

But Hunter stuffed his hands in his jacket; he had a different idea. "Wait, hear me out…" he slipped a sly smirk. "You and I have somethin' in common, yo. We can get down an' dirty when necessary. But… we're also on thin ice. Our rep has already been tarnished by all our past enemies, but hear me out," he finger-gunned. "Alliance. You and me. Maybe Dani if she's down to rumble. And, on the plus side, she can get down and dirty as well, in many ways…" he smirked. "The Brooklyn boys, man… they hate sharin'. But… I don't mind sharing a little fun with fellow delinquents. If ya catch my drift." He winked, finger-gunning again; sleazy, yet convincing: Duncan was all on board.

"Hell yeah!" He grinned, rubbing his hands. "Boys alliance. Plus, a side-chick. It worked before. We can make it work again."

"Good." Hunter extended his palm forward. "Now, shake my hand."

"Deal." Both hands shook. Both smirked a conniving grin, and both had one hand behind their backs. Another eager game of chess waiting to unfold…

Suddenly, the hallway rumbled. The troffers above shook in place like an earthquake zooming through the ground. Hunter and Duncan stood sternly, in full, attentive defense. They glared at all the lights afar flickering frantically. The sound of distorted robot noises ruptured through the walls in glitchy echoes. Both flicked their flashlights on, frozen fight-or-flight mode, waiting for the ominous figure to drift out of the corner across from them.

The shadow grew wider and fatter, before suddenly, the reveal…

"Wa-ha-ha…" Wane walked to the corner, scratching his bottom in a slouch. He pulled out the stack of hundreds out of his chest, drying the bills onto the walls.

Duncan and Hunter remained frozen, befuddled by the stout mustache man. "Dude! Yo, dude! Yoo-hoo!" Duncan called out.

Suddenly, two more peeps popped out of the corner; both in relief that they stumbled upon more potential helpers.

"Whas-sup." Eliza waved hello tiredly, but with a relaxed smile.

"H-hi." Melissa timidly waved at the boys, glancing down.

Hunter flashed a peace sign. "You guys saw a girl with black hair walking alongside a short, purple-hair weirdo, by any chance?"

"Nope. No shot." Eliza shook her head. "But we did stumble upon another group. Sadly, we were split off by chasing bears."

"Those bastards munched on my ass like a cupcake." Wane retorted.

"But luckily…" A large robot bear, out of nowhere, suddenly slid into frame behind Eliza and Melissa, malfunctioning with black smoke spewing out from its neck. "Seems like the robots were also dazzled by the power surge. Makes the challenge a whole lot easier." She glanced at Melissa; both nodded in smiling relief.

"Psst." Hunter muttered to Duncan's ear. "Who you callin' dibs? Freakish-tall, freaky girl? Or fast-food blondie employer?"

Confessional:

Duncan: "Man, this season stinks." He crossed his arms, unamused. "At least back in season one, those peeps were more up my alley. These days, it's all superficial, man. I gotta watch my back, 'cause this Hunter dude won't pull back. I've known these types of sleazeballs back in prison. Trust me, real tricksters…"

-[static]-

Hunter: "Man, this season stinks." He slouched, leaning his back onto the wall. "At least back in Bakuhatsu, the chicks were hotter. But not only that, the only 'friend' I have right now is Duncan, and hear me out, I know the type of shit this dude pulled in past seasons. And trust me, that ain't foolin' me. Not anymore. I've learned my lesson. Flipside is new competitors. Ripe for the taking…" he rubbed his hands mischievously.

-[static]-

"You chicks wanna work together?" Hunter asked, hands behind his back. "Any clue where the exit might be?"

"You two really wanna trust 'em?" Wane mumbled to the girls, shaking his head as he continued scraping the bills onto the harsh metal.

Eliza took note of his concern, briefly glancing back; she rubbed her chin, pondering before staring back at the boys once more. "I saw a couple slim footprints a few steps behind. Maybe that mystery person has found a way out?"

Hunter and Duncan both glanced at each other, sneaking in a subtle smirk before looking right back at the three newbies.

"Tight." Hunter smiled smugly. "Lead the way."

"Damn." Upon setting foot onto the ground, she held her hands on her hips, waiting for her evil companion to propel himself out of the narrow exit using his tiny arms. "Dude. Dude. Oye. We first! Eyooooo!"

He crossed his arms, smiling pridefully. "You can thank me later—"

"YEE-HAW!" And out of nowhere, Colton leaped out a cherry bush behind them, jump-scaring the two with gun-ho hip-firing dual-revolvers, shooting at nothing but the air and trees.

Soon, Madison followed pursuit, standing up from the adjacent bush, flicking leaves off her flannel. "Jeez, dad. At least give me a warnin' before firin' those dang mockers."

"WHAA?" Colton laughed, slapping his knee. "C'mon, Madi! Element of surprise! That's how showbiz is run! PA-PA-POW! BANG-BANG!" He fired two more rounds; birds flocked away from the rumbling trees in fear.

Daniela remained frozen, half-stunned by his outlandish character. But Max kept his smirk, hands crossed. "Scarring the wildlife is an adequate form of evil."

"Nah. They're airsoft thangs. Just a prank! Don't sue us!" Colton tipped his cowboy hat toward the camera in a nervous chuckle, then looked right back at the first two contestants.

"So…" Daniela raised an eyebrow. "Where's the man of the hour?"

"Who? Chris McLean?" He holstered both pistols on his belt. "Taking a bubble bath. He'll be here shortly."

"Pfft," she teased. "Typical McLean."

"In the meantime," he announced. "You two… step right up! Right in the finish circle!" He pointed downwards; a dimly lit blue LED light circled around him, wide enough to squeeze forty people max. "Madi and I will be assortin' the teams…" he briefly paused, hearing victory shouts from a distance. Turning to his right revealed yellow headlights, bright as the neon lights afar, beaming closer and closer, following the dirt path that led toward the finish. The dirty sound of the rumbling motors grew louder and louder, until the three competitors shut off the bikes, letting themselves roll down the hill.

"WOOOOO! WE MADE IT!" Sky raised both fists victoriously, leaping off her seat, right next to the relaxed Daniela.

"Good on ya, mates!" Jasmine grinned gleefully, clapping both their hands. "WOOOOO!"

Rodney dropped his bike down, dashing up to Colton. "Hey! Cowboy man! D'you guys arrive first?"

"Nope. I'm not a competitor, big man!" He patted his shoulder, tiptoeing in an attempt to match his height. "But congrats! You five made it first! I'm as proud as the time Texas became independent! C'MON! Step right up! I won't bite! Yet…" he teased, chuckling playfully as he signaled them forward with hand waves. Madi stood behind, arms crossed, remaining serious, not wanting to play along with her dad's shenanigans.

Then, moments later, a new contestant emerged from the hatch, coughing up dust as she planted her knee over the grass.

First, it was the dusty blonde hair. Then, her irked face popped into vision…

"Hailee?" Daniela laughed, caught off-guard by her sudden savage presence. Shoeless, shirt worn and hair messy. Like she lived off into the woods. "Dang. You gone broke? Or did the tigers go munchy-munchy on your shorty-short-shorts?" She teased, a casual grin and a leaned-back on tree bark.

"Funny." She walked forward, arms crossed, slight irritation. "Okay, let's get this over with. Colton… just, breeze through your vacuous script and assign me a team already."

"Your team's already assigned, missy!" Colton smiled gleefully, pointing ecstatically to his left; the five besides Daniela and Max waved welcomingly, excited to invite a powerhouse to their group.

"Wonderful." Hailee retorted, walking inside the winner's circle, keeping her arms crossed tight. Not a single glimpse at her fellow competitors, retaining her high-and-mighty head-high posture.

Following Hailee, a whole new set of contestants rose out of the hatch. One by one, they leaped out of the exit, landing their backs onto the grass. Finally, they thought. Finally, out of the monotonous maze of metal junk. Deceivingly easy, compared to the mountainous climb. Almost like the traps and robots were conveniently out of commission…

"STEP ASIDE, SAMEY!" Amy shoulder-shoved her exhausted sister, face-planting her over to the winner's circle.

"I… hate… you… Amy…" Samey groaned and grunted, swiftly picking herself up as she blew smoke and dust out of her nose.

"Hey-hey. Don't worry. She pushes you around again, I got your back…" Jasmine comforted, helping flick dirt off her back, scowling at the arrogant Amy. Sky shared similar glares. But Rodney looked down at the ground, hiding his blush in shame.

"Oh-would you look at that." Amy gagged. "Freakish-ginormous giant acting like she's above it all…" As she continued ranting, Beardo and Nanci awkwardly speed-walked past her to the winner's circle, with Kiara slowly strutting behind as she combed her platinum-blonde hair. Making sure it remained pretty and elegant for the cameras. Like always. "Bleh-bleh-bleh-bleh, BLEH! Cry me a river…" She followed closely behind Kiara, before both were instantly stopped by Madison.

"Sorry. Team One is capped to nine players max. This season, FOUR teams will be in session." Madison pointed a few steps to the side, outside the circle. "Kiara and Amy? You two will be the first darn members of Team Two."

"WHAT?" Amy shouted in a whiny fashion. "You're separating me from my own sister?"

"I don't make the gosh-darn rules." She shrugged, unamused. "Colton. Revolver."

"Absolutely." Colton smirked playfully, tossing his toy over.

"Move, or I shoot." She spun the cylinder, aiming towards her legs.

"OKAY-OKAY! Psycho…"

"Ugh. Like… tell me about it." Kiara mumbled to Amy, walking to the sidelines in defeat. Both arms crossed and looked away from each other awkwardly. Almost like a mirror reflection on opposite ends of the pool…

"AAAND…" Colton dashed in front of the camera frame, lively and sugary with hands on his hips. "Looks like we'll be waitin' a touch-longer for the next batch of contestants! We'll be right back…"

Zoom!

Ben was the first to reach the very top, leaping out of the rock as he front-flipped forward, landing near the edge of the cliff. He made it. Finally, he sighed in relief. Slapping his fur hoodie out of his head, he rushed toward the dirt bikes, scanning his back one last time in case his newfound rival rises out of the climb in fury. Three seconds. Tick… tock… tick…

Nothing. Not a single soul caught up to him except the crescent moon above, lingering with its accompanying stars. It shimmered hope into his glistening eyes. Up close, his sockets could feel the comfort. The energy ramped up his excitement once more as he howled at the glamorous night sky, riding off into the forest as he flipped his hoodie back on.

"Let's roll…"

Confessional:

Ben: "I need to keep my eyes peeled from here on out!" He slid both eyelids open, scanning the confessional like an owl. "As long as it's night, my energy replenishes. Lucky me!" He patted his chest proudly. "But… Rival is not a force to be reckoned with. My fur coat sensed trouble. Goosebumps trickled through the fabric. You might think my knee-kick was a weird, random act of hostility, but trust me, I know what I sensed. If I need to lead my team away from danger, then so be it. But first!" He rested his head on both his palms, legs crossed. "A little night-gazing reward doesn't hurt. Right after my assigned team wins the challenge. Anyways, yeah… let's roll."

-[static]-

Following Ben's drive away, five new players entered the clifftop, each scurrying toward the bikes sitting far from the edge. Cora reached the next bike in line, revving and drifting away from the scene, toward a pine tree. And in a sudden instant, she braked, resting Walter's back onto the tree bark. Still passed out, head limping to the side.

"Hey... hey. Hey, man… HEY!" She hesitantly slapped his face, fully waking him up like she startled him out of a nightmare.

"Wow! Oh-wow-wow-wowy!" He shook the water out of his hair frantically. "Where am I?"

"We're at the peak." She pointed to the other rides. "Dirt bikes over there. There are maps attached. Use them to reach the finish. Okay-peace."

And before Cora planted herself onto the bike seat, Walter gripped her ankle. "Wait-WAIT!" He paused, smiling in relief. "Thank you."

Cora briefly froze, staring down the ground sternly in a blank ponder, before planting herself back on the bike. For a moment, she paused… before revving the engine hard as she drifted away in a zoom, into the forest.

"Oh, uh…. Okay." He mumbled.

Before Walter propelled himself up, Jacque rushed toward the bike in excitement, driving away from the scene, fully pumped up. "Catch ya dudes in the finish!" He flashed a peace sign to Preston and Fridge, both glancing at the peculiar bikes; some were missing maps, they noticed.

"Think they drifted away." Preston rubbed his chin. "Seems like it. No other bikes contain maps, except for that one," he pointed at the bike right beside Fridge. Shinier compared to the rest.

"Har-har-har! No worries, chef! So…" Fridge glanced up at Uma, still sitting on his comfortable shoulders and almost falling asleep. "Ladies first? You can take the bike. Preston and I will take the crummier ones."

"Mmm?" She rubbed her eyes, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You don't have to, babe. Seriously, you don't."

"Har-har-har! I insist!" He beamed, carrying her onto the bike. "You've been very nice to me. It's the least I can do!"

"Mmm, okay, big boy. Anything else you have in mind?" She smiled seductively, biting her upper lip onto her finger.

Preston glanced at the two like a third wheeler, slowly excusing himself awkwardly to find another bike. A rev and a drive away signaled the two to hurry it up.

"Nope!" Fridge smiled; eyes closed in full glee.

"Hmm." Uma smiled rather disappointedly but kept her spirits high and lively for his generosity. Before driving away, she slowly caressed his massive chin with her fingers one last time, chuckling in a casual smile. No promiscuous undertones this time. "Thank you. Really. You are very sweet," she whispered, kissing his right cheek as she drifted away into the forest, slowly shrinking out of his sight before the night sky cast its obscuring darkness.

Fridge waved goodbye. A brief friendly goodbye. "Now," he held his hands on hips. "Which bike should I use? Har-har-har." He walked toward the first ride he spotted, hopping on board, ready to drive.

Until…

"Uh-oh." The bike spewed out smoke. Weird. Very weird. But before he stood up to change bikes, two other contestants beat him to it, coming from behind out of nowhere.

"Sorry, dude!" Shun waved hello in a cheerful grin, leaping both her long legs over the bike, revving in full energy. "This is my buddy, Emiya!" She pointed towards him, who simply winked back at Fridge as he moved his bike closer to Shun's for a race. "Sidenote, he's a double furry." She whispered teasingly to Fridge, one hand covering the side of her face. "You know. Like a critter! Dressed as… another critter. Okay-just kiddin', maybe Emiya's not that. Or, maybe he is. A slice of mystery, ooo. It's like that one show, Anime Planet. Ya' seen it? HA! Okay, long-story-short, there's that one episode where two anime-geeks were dressed as bears. But as these dudes ran amok into the forest, they realized they weren't 'bear' enough. So, they dressed in—you guessed it—another bear costume. I guess they couldn't… bear the consequences." She giggled, slowly revving off her bike in thrilling eagerness. "Okay-okay, so, what happened next was—"

"Last one to the finish eats rotten air!" Rival interrupted, winking playfully as he dashed off into the pathway.

Confessional:

Rival: "To all the baffled viewers out there…" he scratched his head. "I'm not a double furry. Sorry. Heartbreaking, I know. To disappoint Ben once more is a travesty. A TRAVESTY!" He acted out a sarcastic scene, both hands up in the air like an overly dramatic theater performance. "Okay, I don't think Ben's that either. I was just being funny."

-[static]-

"Looks like the slim-slimster wanted to shun me. Ha!" She chuckled, before flashing a peace sign toward the confused Fridge. "Alright, dude. Gotta stash the puns, and… dash away. Ska-doosh!"

Dark. Dark once again. And pitch-black.

The troffers ahead of them malfunctioned before their very eyes, zapping the lights off the ceiling. The stranded five flicked their flashlight switches once more, scanning the cold halls with their beams. Junior walked ahead of them; hands stuffed in his pockets. Irritated, and exhausted.

"Dudes. Where are we goin'?" He grunted, kicking the floor.

"Did those three really take off?" Carter raised an eyebrow, shaking his head. "See? Told ya guys. Not to be trusted."

Keesha smiled calmly, resting one hand on his shoulder. "They must've panicked and split off after the blackout. Could be that they were thinking about us the same way. It happens."

"A little too optimistic, don't ya think?" Carter lightly shoved her hand away.

"Best if we stay positive, Carter. For your own sake." She beamed. "Plus, on the bright side, less people to worry about. I'd say we continue forward and keep our eyes peeled for any hatches. What do you guys say?"

"Better than more backtracking." Viola flashed a thumbs up.

Junior and Dylan also held their thumbs up, but the former felt hesitant. A thought ran through the back of his mind: an alternative route. "Psst." He whispered to Dylan. "No offense to Keesha but marching forward to more darkness is a terrible idea. I'd say we backtrack and access one of the rooms. I spotted one with the door open. Looks like a surveillance room."

Dylan rubbed her chin, pondering. Followed up by a head shake. "We've already backtracked, and backtracked, and backtracked. Trust me, my feet hurt, and I do ballet, so… we've done enough endless walking."

"Ballet?" His eyes widened slightly. "Like, ballet dancing? With the dresses?"

"Yeah?" She raised an eyebrow. "Is there an issue?"

"Nope. No issue." He smiled awkwardly. "I… I didn't expect that from you, that's all."

"Hmm?" She rested her chin on her knuckle. "What'd you expect I was?"

"A basketball player."

"Dang, man." She chuckled lightly, flicking her curly hair out of her face. "If you thought I was just some basketball player and nothing else, then you're straight-up lost in the zone, dude." She teased playfully.

"Well, you're wearin' a jersey, aren't ya?"

"So?" She pinched her shirt on the shoulders, slightly lifting it up just a hair. "It's comfy. And it's my style."

"Well…" he grinned boastfully. "If you ever have the chance to visit my crib, I got loads of jerseys in my closet. Reds. Whites. Blacks. Got a whole collection."

"Dang, you trying to entice me, man?" She laughed lightly.

"Listen, if you follow me to the shortcut, then maybe I'll show ya what I got in my luggage." He smirked teasingly. "I got the dopest fits."

"Sure, you do." She rolled her eyes in a smile. "Alright, fine."

Junior held her hand, much to Dylan's reluctancy. Without the other three noticing, they walked back; he led the way to his right, disappearing out of sight. But it did not take long for Carter to pick up footstep shuffles, ears fully perked and attentive. He flipped back… woosh. The two vanished. Just like that.

"Wait, where'd they go?" He alarmed his crew.

Viola turned around, concerned. "Umm… odd?"

"Hmm?" Keesha heard separate voices up ahead, spreading both arms apart like an eagle. "Freeze. We got company."

Carter stepped forward, left foot slid up front, arms down sternly in a martial arts stance, waiting for the four shadowy figures to step out of the corner ahead. The troffers from afar blinked per second. The shadows grew closer and closer, until… all four stepped out into vision. In unison.

"ARGH!" Arnold dashed in front of his companions, drawing his plastic sword in defense. "Shiver me timbers! What brings you mateys into our—"

"Can you just ZIP IT?" Spencer blurted out, blowing smoke out of his nose. He stepped up front, comforting the confused newbies ahead. "Sorry, he's been doing that all day to annoy me."

"No worries!" Keesha giggled. Viola smiled and waved, but Carter remained frozen in place, glaring them down.

"It appears we found fellow lost humans, trapped in an everlasting maze like minotaurs." Alexander bowed, one hand on his chest and one behind his back. "The world is a cruel realm, but together, we can tackle this madness."

Spencer facepalmed. "Really? You couldn't just say, 'wanna work together'?"

"Dire situations require creative liberties." He remarked, spinning his flute between his fingers.

The sight of his wind instrument struck a brevity of uncertainty within Viola. "Are… are you a performer?"

"Yes. Plus, multi-instrumentalist. Virtuoso thespian. And last, but not least… a master hypnotist." He grinned in full flamboyance, with a touch of pretentious tone.

"Ah-oh. Wow." Viola nodded, briefly glancing down the floor. "I… can't wait to witness your future performances." She forced an awkward smile.

"With a drop of darkness…" Dawn butted in, smiling calmly. "Oh-sorry. I was referring to Alexander. He's grown a fondness for darkness."

"Pardon? I never postulated such a thought." Alexander rubbed his chin.

"Oh-it's all there in your aura!" She babbled gleefully. "Plus, don't forget—"

"Guys?" Carter interrupted. "I appreciate your willingness to help, but I think it's best that our groups go separate ways—"

"Whaa?" Keesha giggled, sliding in front of Carter. "The more eyeballs, the merrier! We plan on backtracking either way, so if you guys want, we can stick together and walk this way. The exit's a lot harder to find than we anticipated, so it'll be a great help for all of us."

"Sure." Spencer shrugged. "I can finally take a break from these two buffoons."

Alexander and Arnold shrugged in a titter. Dawn flashed a bright smile, walking over behind Spencer as the two groups merged into one. Everyone grew satisfied, embracing unity…

Except for Carter, tense and vigilant over subtle movements.

Confessional:

Carter: "Fantastic." He crossed his arms. "Just after the incident, we decided to invite even more folks with open arms." He facepalmed. "That Spencer guy and the hypnotist look mighty pretentious. But don't mistake pretentiousness for incompetence. One made it far last season, and the other is a hypnotist. And… and that pirate can method-act all he wants, but he can't fool me. Actors are known to be manipulators. And don't even get me started on Dawn. Is she out for revenge after her mistreatment on season four? Who knows? Precariousness, all around! I should've flown solo when I had the chance…"

-[static]-

Keesha: "Carter's been tense throughout the whole challenge." She slid her hands in her pockets, smiling. "But I'm here to comfort him. He'd make an excellent teammate if he loosens up a bit. I understand his extra precautions, but paranoia can make circles out of you. And I would hate to see him spin uncontrollably." Her smile slowly morphed into a slight frown, a face of worry. "Seen it happen before. And it ain't pretty."

-[static]-

"Excited to finally reach the ground floor? Get some fresh air?" Keesha grinned radiantly.

"Great." Carter huffed to himself. "Happier than ever."

Tick-tock. Tick-tock.

Colton pulled out a giant analog clock the size of a mattress. Almost like it was out of thin air. The blue-neon circumference surrounding the contestants illuminated the ticking clock; all competitors—some yawned while others sat down bored and hungry—waited impatiently, with some foot-taps and quiet whistles.

Madison peered ahead, hand over her forehead once she detected dirt bikes and cheers rushing her way.

Finally, she can rest.

"Next person up… BEN!" Colton shouted through the megaphone. The drastic feedback flying out of the device was enough to fully wake the tired contestants, alerting them of the final arrivals.

"WOOO!" Once Ben crossed the finish circle, he let the bike fly, leaping out in an impressive backflip, a successful landing. He grinned with pride upon nailing his feat. "Let's roll!" He slowly walked toward Amy and Kiara in a confident strut, before Colton zoomed right in front of him, gently bumping him back with his puffy chest.

"Hol' on there, cowboy!" Colton smirked. A friendly, but mischievous smirk, nonetheless. "Two veteran teams, and two newbie teams. Step right alongside Amy and Kiara over there, but not too close that I get confused. Sorry, but we are keepin' newbies and veterans on separate teams. For now…"

"Oh, uh… nice?" He grimaced.

"BUT…" He patted his shoulder. "Don't be too hard on yourself, kiddo. 'Cause you're the first member of Team Three! Or Newbie Team One! However you'd like to see it! WOOOO-HAWWW!"

"Impressive." He flashed a brief smile before switching to night-owl mode: serious-stoic face as he flipped his hoodie back on his head. "Let's roll."

And, before his very eyes could blink, two more dirt-bikers rolled into Colton's questionable vision. He peered intensely, attempting to picture the new arrivals' faces through the growing darkness. Not even the neon lights underneath them could fully brighten up the shadowing forest.

One crossed the finish first; she patted her chest upon slamming her bike onto the dirt. "I'm here, man! Where do I go?" Cora jumped straight to the point, annoyingly exhausted from the hike. For her, it was just exercise. Intensive, nonetheless.

"CORA!" Colton finger-gunned, turning towards her. "Step over to that gray-hoodie young man! His name's Ben. Maybe exchange phone numbers and go on a saucy victory date?" He joked, laughing loudly and breathy.

Cora rolled her eyes, and quickly walked towards Ben without a word. No verbal exchanges: both were in the zone, staring into the forest as they avoided eye contact.

Meanwhile, the second arrival took a quick breather behind a tree, then finally walked toward the circle. Slow and tired; he breathed in and out loudly, wiping sweat off his forehead using his entire arm. "Man! Y'all… you guys… should've seen… how steep our side of the mountain was… hot-damn…" he sighed in relief upon crossing the finish, briefly laying his back on the ground.

"JACQUE!" Colton clapped. "You earned your spot with Cora and Benny-boy over there!" He pointed to them in excited emphasis. "Walk that way, my man!"

"Aight." Peering his finger's direction, he spotted the arms-crossed, unfazed Cora; he smirked casually, hands stuffed in his pocket as he strolled behind them.

Suddenly, a thud. Colton flipped around, facing the hatch.

"Ahh, yo!" Once the hatch slammed open, Hunter leaped out annoyed, rubbing his head repeatedly. "Why'd you dudes shove me like I'm some subway passenger, yo!"

"Wasn't me, man." Duncan shook his head, second to jump out of the tunnel.

"Wa-ha-ha…" Wane muttered extra-quietly; he should have yanked Hunter's wallet out of his pocket with more sneaky grace.

"Ooo, finally…" After Wane's exit, Eliza pulled herself out, pushing through the exhaustion. She rubbed her eyes from every minute to every ten seconds, followed by loud yawns and arm stretches.

Melissa was the last one out, rubbing her chin in full ponder. "I th-think there was interesting technological e-equipment we could've snagged b-back there. O-or, I mean, b-briefly borrow…" she mumbled; no one except Eliza heard her soft voice.

"HUNTER! DUNCAN!" Colton shouted giddily. "MY MANS! You two will join Amy and Kiara! Right… here!" He walked behind the two blonds, pointing down their irritated faces.

"Ugh. Buzz off." Kiara shooed him away, out of her personal space.

"Pardon their faces." Colton walked away, pointing behind with his thumb. "They have bad manners."

"No biggie." Duncan grinned smugly; the thieving dudes strolled towards Amy and Kiara. No words from any of their mouths. Just smiles and frowns.

"WANE! ELIZA! MELISSA!" Colton waved. "You three will join Team Three! Or Newbie Team One! Whatever!" He pointed ahead. "Right… over there!"

"Cool? I-uh, I…" Eliza yawned. "Yeah. Sweet." She walked toward the group, with the smirking Wane and shivering Melissa closely following behind.

Then, out of nowhere, honking beeps. Once again, Colton peered up the hill, walking past the newbie team to discover two more competitors racing down the incline, one following the other. Lots of dust flew from the aggressive driving. Accompanied by some relieved sighs.

"PRESTON! AND UMA!" Colton shouted upon their zooming arrival through the finish. "Dust yourselves! Tidy up! You two will be joining those folks! The five over there! Team Three!" He pointed with both fingers in a gleeful grin.

"Thank you, sexy cowboy…" Uma blew a quick and sneaky kiss before following the chef. The stoic Preston, to be precise. Quietly observing his surroundings. Taking mental notes while readjusting his hat. His teammates; not too shabby. He nodded subtly in relief.

And suddenly, yet another thud underneath the hatch. Colton dashed towards the exit like a roadrunner, slamming the hatch firmly open to witness two pleased contestants, relieved over the fresh air and the sight of their competition.

"Finally." Junior reached his hand down, gently pulling Dylan out before they both tripped backwards. Dylan unintentionally landed on top of Junior, with both sharing uneasy blushes.

"Oh, uh… hi?" Junior slid a teasing grin. But Dylan swiftly pushed herself back up, fixing her hat.

"You gonna cross the finish, man?" She raised an eyebrow. "Or you gonna keep gawking at me?"

"Ladies first?" He grinned smugly, holding her hand yet again. Dylan followed from behind instead, hesitant by his flirting attempts.

"Youngins first." She jabbed.

"Ooo, ouch, man." Duncan jabbed with a quiet laugh.

"Aight! Aight." Junior continued walking forward, crossing the finish before—out of nowhere—Colton ninja-leaped between them, karate-chopping their handholding.

"HAI… YA-YA-YAH!"

"Bruh, what?" Junior shook his hand in pain.

"This team's capped to nine teammates max! Sorry Dylan. To Team Four you go!" He pointed away from the newbie team and, instead, a few steps away from them.

"Aww-seriously?" Junior's whine almost coughed out of his voice, but he quickly hid his embarrassment, hands in his pockets as he deepened his voice. "Oh. Aight. Cool, man." He shrugged.

"Mm. Alright." Dylan shrugged. "Very cool knowing ya, Junior. But… yeah. Separate teams, and all. Alright, later, dude." She flashed a peace sign, with such casual nonchalant-ness that Junior felt little bits of his heart crumble.

Ignoring the teenage tragedy, Colton continued scanning the hill up ahead, noticing four headlights growing larger and wider by the second. Riding side-by-side were the last and final mountain climbers, leaving trails of sweat upon arrival at the finish circle. Dirt bikes crashing to the trees as the contestants jumped out in unison.

"FRIDGE! SHUN! WALTER! AND, um… RIVAL! Err… sorry-EMIYA!" Colton shouted confidently with a few sudden stumbles at the end. Still, he kept his head high, hands on hips. Like a true patriot, he thought. "Team Four! That-a way!" He pointed to their new teammate; Dylan threw a peace sign, with Shun peace-signing back beamingly. "And NOW…" Colton blurted out. "We're missing… gosh-darn, we're still missin' seven peeps! Looks like we're gonna be here for a while—"

"HOLD YER SWORDS!" Hearing Colton's worry from underneath the hatch, Arnold karate-kicked the exit wide-open, leaping out like a frog in full glory. Raising his sword like he just sunk an entire pirate ship. "AHOY, MATEYS! Me and my fellow pirates conquered the desolate depths of Pahkitew hell and made it back in one piece!"

"Arnold. No monologue necessary." Spencer pulled himself up, followed up by an irritated, loud spit to the ground.

"But Spencer…" Alexander sang dramatically, voice smooth as butter. "Arnold needs to express his true self somehow, and you're not permitting his true self," he teased, followed by another titter between him and Arnold.

"Splendid." He fired back, deadpanned.

"Interruption-galore!" Colton walked in between the new arrivals, as four more exited out the hatch in bright happiness. Well… some more than others.

"Phew!" Keesha beamed. "Looks like our hunch was right!" She gently bumped Carter's shoulders with her elbow.

"Yup. Great." He only mustered up a brief, unenthusiastic congrats.

"ARNOLD! SPENCER! ALEXANDER! AND DAWN!" Colton pointed. "TEAM TWO! THAT-A WAY!" The four simply walked without muttering a word. Unfazed, but exhausted, they were. "KEESHA! VIOLA! AND CARTER! Team Four! Shoo-shoo!"

"Alright." Viola shrugged with an eyebrow raise, walking in between her two groupmates toward her new teammates.

And a friendly, hand-waving bunch they were.

Oh-pity. Amity could only last so far underneath the everlasting neon lights…

"Well, hey-hey-hey, would you look at that?" And—out of nowhere yet again—a new person joined the fun. Two, in fact. Walking out from the forest of shadows, the two legendary figures slowly revealed themselves. One carried out their signature camera-ready grin, while the other… a frustrated growl. The face of an overworked employee, pushed to their limits—and yet—they were still kicking it. "Thank you for doing the dirty work for me, McShaws. Now… SHOO! Skedaddle! Sayonara!"

"At most, Mr. McLean." Colton saluted, as both he and the eye-rolling Madison walked away, following the path that led to the town center. Quite a walk, but easy for them to handle.

But Chef Hatchet was not having the host's nonchalant smile. "Hey, Chris! Don't forget! You should've given ME one of the parachutes!"

"Shoulda. Coulda. Oh-wait. Actually, I did. And you shoulda looked harder." Chris shrugged, chuckling.

"Ahem…" Kiara interrupted, clearing her throat in a snobby glare.

"Yeah-don't rush me." The host shushed. "Since everyone is eager to start, let's get the ball rollin'! First things first… team names!" He pointed at the first team. "Looks like we got some returnees on deck," he chuckled. "Jasmine, Sky, Beardo, Max, Samey, Rodney, Nanci, Daniela, and Hailee! You nine will be referred to as… the Brilliant Bears!" Cheers from the newly named team ensued. Mostly from Jasmine and Sky. And excited they were. "We've ditched the Cree names. Way too hard to pronounce. Plus, the producers thought it may have 'lowered the ratings', yadda-yadda," he yapped. "Moving on, to team two! Duncan, Dawn, Hunter, Arnold, Alexander, Spencer, Amy, and Kiara! You eight will be referred to as… the Fiery Foxes!"

The Fiery Foxes were not the celebratory bunch. Mostly arm-crosses and irritated stares.

"Wow." Spencer blurted out sarcastically. "Creative."

"Thank you, Spencer." He chuckled. Thankfully for Chris, no Topher compliments in sight. "Next up, onto the newbie teams! Team three… Jacque, Uma, Cora, Preston, Ben, Eliza, Melissa, Wane, and Junior! You nine will be referred to as… the Vicious Vipers!"

"Dope." Jacque was impressed, nodding with his hands in his pockets. The rest either followed with brief claps or overly long yawns.

"And finally, the last team!" Chris continued. "Viola, Keesha, Fridge, Carter, Walter, Dylan, Shun, and Rival, err… Emiya! Whatevs." He stumbled upon rereading his flashcard, prompting an eyebrow raise from Rival. "You eight will be referred to as… the Tranquil Tigers!"

"Rad!" Shun flashed two peace signs in a wide grin. Some smiles in relief for a pronounceable team name.

"And now! Some bad news…" the host smirked, followed up by slow hand-rubs. Behind him stood Chef, looming ominously in the background… "Since this is a twenty-six-episode season, we've decided to squeeze in a few… butcher eliminations." He laughed deviously. A laugh so deviously reminiscent of his typical Revenge of the Island laughs. Some even wondered if he ever changed. Maybe he did. Hard to crack through the chaotic exterior. "This season, we will have TWO butcher eliminations. And after today's next challenge, we will end things off with a butcher! Now, what are butcher eliminations, you may ask? Well, glad you asked! In each butcher, there will be—not one… not double—but QUADRUPLE eliminations! YUP! You heard correctly! QUADRUPLE… ELIMINATIONS! Four will be packing their stuff by the end of the night! Two contestants from the team that end up in last place, and two more from the second-last team. Yup, you heard correctly… two plus two. Four! TONIGHT!"

And in a sudden whiplash, the entire crowd of thirty-four gasped loudly. Like a wave of shock rumbled through their heads in utter fear.

"But…" Viola raised her hand. "Total Drama has never ventured into fourfold eliminations. Those are drastic numbers."

"Yeah, plus… we're new." Cora grunted; arms crossed. "Give us some slack, man. What gives?"

"Too bad. So sad." The host grinned, shrugging before peeking at his watch. "Oh-would you look at that! We're out of time! Look like we'll be pickin' things right back up on Part Two. Who do you think will fumble tonight? Will it be… the Fiery Foxes and Vicious Vipers? Brilliant Bears and Tranquil Tigers? Or… maybe both the newbie teams! Or both the veterans! Or… none of the above! Guess we'll find out…" he chuckled. "Stay tuned and be on the lookout, for MORE action-packed chaos! Right here! On…"

"Total!"

"Drama!"

"Pahkitew Showdown!"

The Competition:

Brilliant Bears:

Beardo

Daniela

Hailee

Jasmine

Max

Nanci

Rodney

Samey

Sky

Fiery Foxes:

Alexander

Amy

Arnold

Dawn

Duncan

Hunter

Kiara

Spencer

Vicious Vipers:

Ben

Cora

Eliza

Jacque

Junior

Melissa

Preston

Uma

Wane

Tranquil Tigers:

Carter

Dylan

Fridge

Keesha

Rival

Shun

Viola

Walter

Author's Note: So, we're finally here. Episode One has finally been completed! Yay! So, a couple things: I was not expecting the chapter to reach over 20k words! It's an unfathomable number for a singular chapter, but a large cast requires a larger word count! Now, I understand some characters had more time to shine, but I can guarantee that others will get more spotlight opportunities as we continue onwards with the story. This chapter mainly contained lots of moving puzzles and setup for future dynamics, plus subtle hints of foreshadowing sprinkled hiddenly throughout.

So, a few questions…

Your overall thoughts? Favorite characters? Thoughts on the teams and which ones you think will win? And what are your predictions for the quadruple eliminations and which two teams you think will end up in third and fourth place?

Thank you to all readers and reviewers! You guys are the best! And as always, if you have additional questions, my inbox is always open. Next chapter should be coming out shortly, hopefully before the end of the month.

Stay tuned!