Episode 15: Do You Sea What I Sea?
-Last Time On Quarantine-
"Bertram is listening to our every word! Why do you think he's ALWAYS a step ahead of us!?"
Contestants were immediately assaulted by Gola's army.
"Dagger Eyes wants to take us out NOW, so he's bringing his army in!"
After protecting their base, they fought back. ...In tanks!
"Well YOU are talking to ace Rock-em Sock-em Golurk pilot Jet here!"
They had to drive up to the newly protected base of Gola.
"Guys? What's with the flashing bar, over?"
And then they had to fight Gola's guards!
"Okay guys, I know it's self exclamatory, but be careful!"
But eventually, they came across Gola himself.
"Pesky little Ninjask thinks they're so tough, huh? Why don't you fight me then!"
As well, Kiki caught confirmation of Aria's innocence from the one and only Jet-Frog.
"It looks like they're starting to figure you out and what you did to Aria and how you imitated her voice to make people think she was bad."
But no matter how many times she told Muffy, she just wouldn't believe her.
"You're lying! You're just saying that because you don't like Grant!"
Instead of the Quarantine Chamber Ceremony, Gola managed to inject a virus into one of the contestants. ...Muffy, who went to save her... friend.
"I'm gonna miss that Grant kid when this is all over."
Five contestants are left. Only five! Who will be the next to go? Find out on today's episode of... Quarantine.
-No More Mr. Nice Big-
Dagger Eyes was in his room as usual. Right now he was trying to stay calm, but things inside him were making him angry. ...Of course since all you can ever see of him are his eyes, it's hard to tell.
"RARGH! STUPID INTERLOPERS!" Dagger Eyes erupted. "ALL OF THEM ARE INTERLOPERS! AND NOW I'VE LOST MY BEST HENCHMAN! GRRRRR! I still have the zombie potions! They're going to have to..."
"Ha ha! HAHAHAHAAA! Yes!" Suddenly Medulla came in carrying two small orbs in his finger tips: the size of large pills. He seemed to be happy about this.
"What's wrong with you!?" Dagger Eyes yelled. "How can you be LAUGHING at a time like this?"
"Because I FINALLY formulated a way to get around that idiot beaver's BUG!" Medulla said proudly. "I have finally perfected... THESE! Just swallow one of these, and we can talk telepathically."
"Huh? That's actually useful," Dagger Eyes stated.
"Just let me get my flying platform and I'll drop it in your mouth," Medulla said.
Bertram was listening to it and started to get concerned. It wasn't just the orbs, but something else.
"Flying platform?" Bertram asked himself. "Dropping it in Dagger Eye's mouth? Wait..."
Bertram was starting to wonder just how massive Dagger Eyes was. If Medulla needed a flying machine feed him the orb, that meant he was huge.
"What kind of monster is he?" Bertram asked.
Eventually he watched as Medulla came flying into the room on his platform, still holding the orb in his fingers. Eventually he flew close to Dagger Eye's sillouette so that you could see Dagger Eye's eyes, but the rest was still black. Even Medulla was black right now due to the awful lighting. But eventually, Medulla flew away from the darkness and waited.
"Well? How does it feel?" Medulla asked.
There was silence for a moment. Bertram could hear no form of consolation or anything. But he could see Medulla's head nodding. Suddenly, he heard something.
"It WORKS!" Dagger Eyes shouted. "Now we can plan in SECRET!"
"Well, let me tell you the plan I got," Medulla started.
More silence ensued the two. Bertram could not tell what was going on. All he could do was watch.
"Awww, telepathy orbs, I want one of those," Bertram whined to himself. "Guess Dagger Eyes finally got one over me." Bertram let out a sigh before slamming his paw onto the control panel. "I won't give up," Bertram proclaimed. "I WILL be prepared for whatever plan he has. ...But what could it be?"
Meanwhile, morning struck the Team Mol-Tres bunkers. Contestants were already waking up. ...Of course, that's because Grant was talking in his sleep again.
"No. Stand back! Don't hurt me! I just wanted the Frisbee," Grant muttered. Grant started to clench his pillow tightly. You could even see fear in his mouth.
Kiki heard all of his muttering. Kiki had a feeling she knew exactly what was going on.
"Guilty conscience?" Kiki asked.
"WARGH!" Grant yelled before falling out of his bed.
"You seem to be having nightmares," Kiki stated. "Hmmm, I wonder why."
"Leave me alone, demon bird!" Grant shouted in a whiny tone. "Just leave me alone already! Don't you think I feel bad enough that Muffy's gone?"
"You can't fool me Grant," Kiki stated. "You might be able to fool the others, but not me. I know what you did."
"Shut up!" Grant shouted. "Just shut up! I am sick and tired of your endless banter! Just leave me alone!"
"No, yell at him some more," Jet blurted out, signalling that he was awake.
"And you," Kiki started. "I know you know what his evil intentions are! Why don't you make yourself useful for once and cough up some details."
"Why don't I start from two days ago," Jet stated. "You see..."
"You're taking HER side?" Grant whined. "After all I tried to do for you! I'm still willing to help you out if you need it!"
"You've resorted to desperation, pathetic," Jet said. "So anyway, just the other day he was..."
"WHAT!? The dragons are back!?" Grant shouted as he looked out the door. "Jet! Teach those dragons a lesson! Only you're good enough to do so!"
"Those pesky dragons think they're tough?" Jet asked.
"Grant... there's no dragons out there," Kiki mentioned as she walked to the door.
"Huh?" Grant said as he looked out. "Oh, must be the nightmares lingering in my brain."
"Sure it is," Kiki said.
"Now as I was saying..." Jet started.
"You know what Jet," Grant cut off. "I give up. Guys? I have something important to say."
Everyone stopped what they were doing. Drenig was in the back of the room combing his hair while Wren was still trying to sleep. But now all eyes were on Grant.
"Jet?" Grant started. "Everything I said... was a joke!" Grant started to raise his voice at Jet now. "Everything! What we did yesterday and today, you bought it! I was just leading you along for the ride."
"Wait, hold on, what?" Jet asked.
"You really thought I was going to try an eliminate ARIA?" Grant asked. "You really thought I had ANY power over the others? And you thought for a second that I was actually trying to help YOU!?"
"But the spices," Kiki stated. "Filters don't just come off!"
"Some do," Grant mentioned. "I mean come on Jet, how gullible ARE YOU? I've been playing the fake evil scientist schtick since day one! Surely by now you'd have figured out I'm not genuine."
"But... Your voice," Jet stated. "You were mocking Aria near the tree!"
"Still part of the ruse," Grant said confidently.
"But in the mansion!" Jet brought up.
"How many times do I have to say this, that wasn't me," Grant said.
"Oh... I feel stupid right now," Jet said.
"Good. Let that be a lesson," Grant said.
But Kiki still narrowed her eyes at Grant. She STILL wasn't buying it.
-Confessional Session(Grant)-
"Whew, that was close," Grant said.
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"He just makes this stuff up as he goes," Kiki said, trying to talk and giggle at the same time. "Evil scientist schtick? Please. And the dragons thing? It's obvious he did that to buy time to think of an excuse."
-After Confessional-
While Wren was awake, he noticed Drenig was brushing his pompadour. Yesterday, he referred to his comb as "his buddy." This suggested to Wren that his comb had sentimental value.
"Say, Drenny," Wren called out. "That comb... you called it your buddy before."
"Yeah, is that strange?" Drenig asked.
"No, it's just that Pokemon generally do that to things they hold deer to them," Wren mentioned. "Is that comb important to you?"
"Well... take a look at it," Drenig said as he held the comb out for Wren to look at.
Wren hopped over to look at the comb and noticed something. At the top of the comb, it said "BigBoss Motors" on it. Seemed kind of odd.
"That's on your jacket too," Wren mentioned.
"Yeah, everyone at my shop carries a comb," Drenig mentioned.
"I can't help but wonder... Is that hair real?" Wren asked.
"Nah. Actually it's not," Drenig said. "It's actually a souped up wig. You ever see Pokemon like me that actually have real hair like this?"
"But how do you keep it on your head?" Wren asked.
"Mostly just adhesive," Drenig added. "It comes right off if I pull hard enough. See?"
Drenig then pulled his pompadour off his head to show Wren that what he was saying was true. He then proceeded to put it back on his head.
"Does... does the comb, the hair and the jacket all mean something to you?" Wren asked.
"Sure does," Drenig confirmed. "It all came from my job. BigBoss Motors has a serious greaser theme going for it, and to this day I've always kind of associated myself with those cool cats from four decades ago. Me and this comb have been together since the day I started working at BigBoss Motors. Even the hair was given to me at work. All three of my accessories were initiation presents. And to this day, I've always enjoyed my job there."
"Bo-ring!" Jet shouted. "You're like an old man blathering about stories of their life that, news flash, NO ONE CARES ABOUT!"
"No one cares about YOU either!" Wren shouted.
-Confessional Session(Jet)-
"They don't know it yet, but they love me," Jet said. "They love to hate me that is. Of course, they're just jeleous."
-After Confessional-
Suddenly, Bertram appeared on the screen of the bunker. He seemed a bit... puzzled.
"I've got good news and I've got bad news," Bertram said.
"Errr, bad new first," Grant said. "I love bad news."
"The bad news..." Bertram started. "The bad news is that Dagger Eyes has a new plan for world domination, and thanks to their latest invention I do not know what it is yet. ...So I guess there may be no challenge today."
Everyone was silent. It didn't seem like anyone cared.
"But I do have good news," Bertram stated. "I have... Contact!"
"Contact? Contact with WHO?" Jet asked.
"Who else?" Bertram asked. "It's accustom for reality shows to be doing this at this point in the game. We have some very special people visiting us."
"Like who? Our parents?" Wren asked.
"Yes Wren, very good," Bertram said. "I have brought ALL of your parents here to celebrate your place in the top five!"
"No way!" Grant shouted. "Ooh, I wonder if mom baked cookies."
"Hmmm, do the parents know of the evils that have gone on on the show?" Kiki asked.
"What are you, nuts?" Bertram asked. "The audience hasn't even gotten to see the lovely Savil yet. We only air an episode a week, and Brew or Die is scheduled... well it technically won't be true by the time audiences see this."
"Drat," Kiki said, disappointed that Grant's parents won't be able to blab out his secrets.
"And to celebrate this day, I have also brought my parents along," Bertram said. "Please welcome Bartholomew and Bellina."
Suddenly a camera went to the side to show a curious face peeking through the door. A rather large Raticate wearing glasses and what looked like a small intricate tie. The Raticate waddled out of the doorway before an even larger Bibarel appeared. It was a female Bibarel who looked quite muscular, almost as big as Percy. And she was wearing fancy pink wing-shaped glasses and a matching pink one-piece spandex too. These were Bertram's parents.
"Aaay, hello? Is this the Quarantine base of control area?" Bartholomew asked.
"Oh you and your inconventional sentences," Bellina said with a smile. Bellina then picked Bartholomew up and walked towards Bertram. She then waved to the camera and smiled. "Hey, Bertram's got a surprise for you outside."
"Aiiieee, he has people outside contestants might want to see at current time," Bartholomew stuttered.
"You'll have to excuse ol' Bart," Bellina said. "He's not dumb, he just gets easily nervous."
"Being a Raticate is, uhhh, not un-challenging," Bartholomew started. "Raticates are armless and legless creatures, and Raticates are incapable of, well... we are useless at much other than hopping and chewing stuff. Raticate muscles all went to our jaw."
"Dad, I'm sure everyone knows how Raticate anatomy works," Bertram stated. "My dad can also go on tangents where he tells stories about himself."
"Just like Drenig," Jet blurted out.
"Oh who's the blue one? He's so cute!" Bellina shouted.
"Mom, you think EVERYTHING is cute," Bertram said. "My mom's a pro-wrestler and my dad is an accountant."
"Uhhh, they have special calculators for me there," Bartholomew stated.
"And I love both of you equally," Bertram said trying to hug Bellina from where she was holding Bartholomew so he could hug him too. "Anyway, step outside: Your parents are waiting."
"My parents are outside?" Kiki said happily.
"Oh I bet my mom and dad are proud of me for making it this far," Wren stated.
"I wonder what my parents have done since I left for this show," Jet asked himself.
Eventually everyone was heading outside where they would meet their parents. This could be a very touching moment for all of them.
-Family Reunion-
The contestants shot outside to look for their parents. Their parents weren't initially in sight, which had the contestants wondering.
"Bertram isn't playing a trick on us, is he?" Drenig asked.
"No, Drenig doesn't joke about stuff near and dear to us," Kiki stated. "...At least I don't think."
Just then, a loud noise could be heard. It sounded like a thump.
"What was that?" Grant asked.
The thumping got closer and louder. Suddenly, a huge creature appeared right behind Wren, who was standing in the doorway. The monster eventually grabbed Wren and hoisted him into the air. It was a BIG massively wide Cleffable, probably the biggest Cleffable you could ever come across.
"ACK!" Wren blurted out.
"Hey! Big guy! Let go of Wren you jerk!" Kiki yelled.
"Dad! Why do you always have to do that?" Wren asked.
"Wait, what?" Kiki asked. "...Dad?"
"Wrenny!" the big Cleffable exclaimed. "You look just as lively as the day you left home. How has the show treated ya?"
Suddenly, a smaller creature came out of the doorway. This one was a Raichu, probably Wren's mom.
"Oh Dimitri, do you have to surprise hug your son every time you see him after long periods of time?" The female Raichu asked. "He's a grown boy."
"He's our grown boy, Gerdy," Dimitri the Cleffable stated.
"Hey! Fatso! You're blocking the doorway!" Another shout from inside the bunker was heard.
"Dad?" Jet asked out loud.
As Dimitri and Gerdy the Raichu moved out of the way, an even more massive Poliwrath came out of the doorway. Except the Poliwrath wasn't fat huge, he was a total beefcake at that, and he was flexing his muscles as he came out. Accompanying him was a very tall Greninja. These must have been Jet's parents.
"Hey Jet," the Poliwrath greeted. "Good job Jet! I knew you'd make it this far."
"It's in the family blood Squall," the Greninja said in a rather seductive voice. "Our family is made of winners. We raised our son up right."
"Now Shadow, I wouldn't go that far," Squall said. "I've always noticed that in life the more confident I am, the more likely I end up losing a game. That's why I always try to play with caution."
"Caution's for losers, Squall," Shadow stated. "When you're the best, you know it."
"Wow, his mom's just as stuck up as Jet is," Kiki mumbled to herself.
"Excuse me?" Shadow asked.
"Nothing," Kiki blurted out quickly.
Another pair of Pokemon quickly came out the door. This time a very slinky looking Mienshao with a white Judo outfit and a blackbelt was accompanied by a very tall Blaziken with a blue Judo outfit and a blackbelt. These were Kiki's parents. It was ironic how Kiki's Judo outfit was red, which made red, white, and blue Judo outfits.
"Eeee! My parents are here!" Kiki shouted as she ran up to her parents and bowed.
"Ah, well met Kiki," the Mienshao said. "I see we have trained you well."
"Very well indeed," the Blaziken said.
"How have you been handling the competition so far?" the Mienshao asked.
"Just doing my best dad," Kiki stated.
"That's how you play," the Mienshao stated. "Remember not to get too confident. Overconfidence leads to defeat."
"See? Even he thinks so," Squall told his wife.
The Mienshao then walked up to Squall and Shadow. It seemed he wished to greet them.
"Ah, and you are?" the Mienshao asked.
"I'm Shadow, and beefcake is Squall," Shadow greeted. "We're Jet's parents."
"I am Kanji," the Mienshao said. "And she, over there, is my wife Ryoko."
"Is that so," Shadow said.
"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Kanji sir," Squall said.
"Huh, Jet's father doesn't seem like a total jerk," Kiki said to herself.
The next one to come out was a tall and rather serious looking Houndoom. He didn't seem all that happy. Next to him was a rather pudgy looking Grumpig with an apron and a tray of cookies. She wasn't as fat as Dimitri, but she looked more out of shape in general. More flab and less muscle fat in comparison.
"Yes! Mom made cookies!" Grant shouted.
"Awww, hi darling," the Grumpig female said. "I made cookies for everyone. I made twenty, which should be enough for everyone."
"Why are you constantly spoiling him Naomi?" the Houndoom asked.
"Marle, can't you ever be supportive?" Naomi asked.
"Hmph, I don't know why," Marle started. "I mean, I should congratulate our son for making it this far, but I don't see how he did. Who could put up with that "evil scientist" get-up of his?"
"Oh, Marle, you're embarrassing him," Naomi said.
"Good," Marle said. "Maybe he'll learn how much of an outcast he is."
Grant started to cower before his dad. It didn't seem like he liked Marle much at all.
"Now who want's cookies?" Naomi asked.
"Oh, I do," Dimitri said before walking over to the cookies.
"Me! I want one," Wren said, standing up to grab a cookie.
"Ooh, are they oatmeal cookies covered in dried Cheri berries?" Squall asked.
"It doesn't matter, cause you can't have one," Shadow said.
"Aww come on, one cookie won't hurt," Squall said.
"You don't even have a mouth," Shadow stated.
"Who says we don't? Squall asked. Squall grabbed a cookie and shoved it right into the swirl on his belly. When he took his hand away from his belly, the swirl was gone. "Mmmm, good cookies Naomi."
Squall seemed to be the type who liked to be in the spotlight, but still had some sense of humility to him. That's why he was rude to Dimitri, but at the same time didn't seem to be all that terrible.
"Ay, wait, where's my parents?" Drenig asked.
"Hey, room for two more?" Finally, a rather large Hippowdon came through the doorway holding a cane in his hands came out. He was followed by a spunky Krookodile with a cowboy hat. She seemed to be the opposite of Drenig. While Drenig was kind of chubby for his species, his mom seemed to be the spitting image of good Krookodile health.
"Ay, now it's really a party," Drenig said as he went over to his parents. "Guys, I'd like you to meet my mom and dad, Mortimer and Ignatia."
"Pleasure if I do say so myself," Mortimer greeted.
"Oy, Drenig, see you're still kickin', ay?" Ignatia asked. "Who'd have thought a rookie like you could a made it this far? Your mechanical skills getting good use?"
"Are they ever," Drenig said with a smile.
"It's a shame your room mate isn't with you," Mortimer said.
"Aww, he had a good run," Drenig said. "I do kinda miss Dustin though. But I made more friends too. You met Kiki and Wren yet?"
"Oh, is that right?" Gerdy asked her son. "Have you been making lots of friends?"
"Yes mom," Wren said. "It's a shame not all of my friends could make it to the final five. I still miss Stawolt, Aria, Muffy. ...I wish all of them were here."
"You found a nice girl yet?" Dimitri asked.
"I didn't come here for girls dad," Wren mentioned.
"What about Kiki? She's pretty cool, and she's your type," Dimitri stated.
"Wait, what? Bertram never mentioned that," Kiki stated. "He only..."
"Kiki, we already decided we just wanted to be good friends," Drenig mentioned. "Let it go."
"Ahh, wise words to live by: Forgive and forget," Kanji said.
"Well, that's true, but there's nothing to forgive," Kiki stated.
"Then just forget, young dear," Ryoko stated.
"You're right, I really should," Kiki mentioned.
Eventually, two more Pokemon came out. Bartholomew and Bellina had just come out of the bunker and seemed rather happy about seeing everyone happy.
"Oh dear," Bartholomew said. "All these people... Anxious intentions are rapidly increasing inside me."
"Cookie?" Naomi asked, presenting Bartholomew and Bellina with her cookie tray. There were still seven cookies left since Jet and Shadow did not have one.
"Don't mind if I do," Bellina said, taking two cookies and handing one to Bartholomew.
"Ay, now where's that Bertram bloke at?" Ignatia asked.
"Bertram is busy," Bartholomew stated. "He's in the room with all the gadgets right now and said he's looking for a sign."
"In other words, he won't be with us," Bellina stated.
In the control room, Bertram was watching over the whole entire peninsula. He was looking high and low for any signs of Dagger Eyes. Eventually he saw something. Near a large cliff at the edge of the peninsula, he saw some action. Out of the cliff side he saw a large ship slowly going through the cliff. It could only be assumed there was a secret docking bay there. Bertram had a feeling it was a ship belonging to Dagger Eyes. That's when he got out the phone and made a call.
"Stronghold? Break out the transport copter," he spoke through the phone. "And bring some of your best explodables. ...And most importantly a breakfast buffet. The contestants haven't eaten yet."
It didn't take long for the helicopter to fly out to the Quarantine bunker grounds. Everyone saw the giant helicopter and cleared out of the way for it to land. Once it did, Bertram got out of the flying vehicle and stood where everyone could see him.
"Alright contestants, listen up," Bertram said. "I have good news to share."
"Dagger Eyes is finally history?" Grant asked.
"Uhh, no. Far from it," Bertram mentioned. "Dagger Eyes has finally surfaced. He has a suspicious ship swimming out to see and we need to stop this ship at all costs."
"Hmph, I see you're making the contestants work hard," Marle mentioned.
"It's nothing our young Kriketot cannot handle," Ryoko stated
"Your Kriketot?" Shadow asked. "Our son will squash YOUR Kriketot like one."
"Hey! Is that how we treat strangers!?" Squall yelled. "I mean, Jet is only the most athletic monster in college but she looks pretty tough too."
"Hey, no need to fight guys," Dimitri stated.
"Strong words coming from one with no confidence," Shadow mentioned.
"Who are YOU to decide who has confidence?" Gerdy asked.
"Mmm hmm, I can't help but wonder if SHE really has any," Mortimer asked.
"Oh, she has nothing BUT confidence in her head," Squall mentioned.
"Bertram, there are still five cookies left, you want one?" Naomi asked.
"People! Monsters! Let's quell the flames for a moment," Bertram said before walking over to Naomi. "Oh thank you by the way." Bertram took a cookie and shoved it right in his mouth. He then started talking with his mouth full. "Anyway, we have to take the helicopter..."
"Hey, speak with your mouth empty!" Bellina exclaimed. Bertram gulped his cookie down.
"Yes mother," he said before resuming. "We have to take the helicopter out to that ship, then we have to drop the contestants down wielding state-of-the-art explodable technology and blow that ship up."
"Ay, now this aint what I signed my son up for!" Ignatia shouted.
"Yes that sounds awfully dangerous," Gerdy replied.
"Don't worry, this is just a TV show," Bertram said. "We would not put the contestants in any real danger. Remember this. Everything you will eventually see on TV is not real. You will see contestants with guns, but they are not REAL guns. Likewise, these are not real bombs we're talking about. I hate it when I have to break the forth wall to explain things."
"Oh, that's a relief," Dimitri said. "See Gerdy, Wren's going to be fine."
"Now, since we are in a hurry and none of you have had breakfast," Bertram started.
"Are you sure?" Shadow asked. "It looks like Dimitri and Naomi had breakfast, lunch AND dinner."
"Inside the helicopter is..." Bertram started before walking over to the side of the helicopter and opening up a big sliding door. "A breakfast buffet so you can all eat on the go, and we can save the world in a convenient fashion."
"Aww, that's our boy, always thinking about other people," Bellina said.
"Hey, I'm cold and stern when I want to be," Bertram mentioned. "But I can also be quite nice too."
"It is nice that son is nice to others," Bartholomew stated.
Eventually, everyone boarded the helicopter. Bertram showed everyone the breakfast table which had many of the same things the breakfast table at Pandora's rocket had. For those who forgot: Scrambled Blaziken eggs, waffles, omlettes, breakfast wraps, many different kinds of cereal, and Emboar ham. There was also hashbrowns, bacon, sandwiches and other things. Bertram went over to the table and picked up one of the breakfast sandwiches.
"While we're flying out to the ship, why don't you guys enjoy yourselves in here," Bertram said before taking a bite of his sandwich.
"Ooh, sounds like a plan," Squall said.
"Remember to show restraint, Dimitri," Gerdy blurted out.
Eventually, Bertram went into the control area to fly the helicopter. While he was flying, the others started to talk with each other.
"So... Why don't we get to know each other?" Wren suggested. "I am Wren, and this is my father Dimitri, and my mother Gerdy."
"Hmph, must be proud to have parents like that," Marle said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Dimitri asked. "Do you wanna go?"
"Dad!" Wren shouted.
"I suppose we've all made mistakes," Marle stated.
"Dad, you're not saying marrying my mom was a mistake are you?" Grant asked.
"Did I say that? I just said we all make mistakes," Marle mentioned.
"You kind of insinuated it though," Naomi mentioned.
Grant started to cower again. Wren saw Grant cringing at the thought of his father and felt bad for him.
-Confessional Session(Wren)-
"I wonder if that is why Grant is so sensitive," Wren asked himself. "His father doesn't exactly seem like the nicest person on the planet. I'm also pretty sure he just insulted my dad, my mom, and HIS mom. A rather bad looking egg really."
-Confessional Session(Grant)-
"Now you know the "Grand Dark Lord," Grant stated. The one more evil thank I wish Abigale was back. ...Huh? Did I just say something odd? Blast! I did, didn't I. ...My dad makes me think, maybe now is the time I should come clean. My dad makes me really uneasy. And what chance do I have to win. Yeah, I should try to see if telling the truth would make my dad proud."
He then switched his face to his evil grin. Grant was thinking bad thoughts.
"Or, I have a better idea. I will use my father to churn sympathy out of the contestants. Ha ha! I can use that as my drive to victory."
-After Confessional-
Meanwhile, Kiki and Drenig were with their parents, who were both talking with each other. They were talking about their relationship with each other.
"So, how long have you two been friends?" Mortimer asked.
"I guess it all started a day or two after Riley got kicked off," Drenig mentioned. "We tried to hate each other cause after Bertram told us we were compatible, we didn't want to feel like a relationship was pushed on us, but eventually we just became good friends."
"You know, he could easily have told you that you were compatible with that Raichu as well," Mortimer asked. "Yet why pick our son in particular."
"Ay, that does seem like a wicked mystery," Ignatia mentioned.
"I know my parents asked me to forget, but... that does seem odd," Kiki mentioned.
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"Drenig's a cool cat and all," Kiki mentioned. "But Wren's cool too. Why would Bertram pick Drenig instead."
-After Confessional-
"Ay, it does seem a bit odd," Drenig stated. "I guess Bertram just picked me in particular because Riley had a thing for Kiki, and I guess Bertram landed on me because me and Riley are both lizards."
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"Oh... I guess that makes sense now that I think of it," Kiki said.
-After Confessional-
"I guess Kiki should just go with how she feels," Kanji stated.
"Well I think Drenig seems like a worthy candidate for our daughter's future husband," Ryoko mentioned.
"Thanks Mrs. Kiki, but Wren is very nice too," Drenig stated.
"Hmmm, I do not know if I would approve of either as our daughter's husband," Kanji stated. "They seem very... Well... Do they have honor? Are they true warriors?"
"Dad, why does it matter? I don't plan on marrying either of them," Kiki mentioned.
"If you ask me, I think they would both do well," Mortimer stated.
"Hey, she said she wasn't interested, let the dipper have her coconut," Ignatia stated.
"Again with the coconuts," Drenig said. "What the heck are coconuts?"
"Hmph, you guys are weak," Shadow stated as she passed by. "A real warrior like Kiki deserves a real warrior like Jet."
"...But they're not compatible!" Drenig and Kiki's parents shouted in unison.
"Besides mom, she's annoying," Jet stated.
"You don't know what she's really capable of," Squall mentioned.
"I bet she couldn't beat our Jet at sports," Shadow mentioned.
"Our daughter could snap him in two pieces in a fight," Kanji stated.
"Oh yeah?" Shadow taunted. "I'd like to see that happen."
"You're on," Kanji challenged. "Kiki, teach those upstarts a lesson."
"No!" Kiki shouted. "You guys came here so that you could bond with your loved ones, you didn't come to fight each other."
"Ooh, she could TOTALLY snap our son with that weak talk," Shadow mentioned.
"Why you!" Kanji exclaimed.
Immediately Squall and Ryoko tried to restrain their spouses. They were trying to tear each other a new one.
"You have no honor!" Kanji shouted.
"And you're way too weak!" Shadow shouted.
They both growled at each other. Things were getting out of hand. ...Until suddenly, a shout from the pilot area arose.
"No no NO!" Bertram shouted. "I told them to make sure the helicopter was fully stocked! We're not going to have enough fuel to reach the ship!"
"Oh no, we're not going to crash land, are we?" Wren asked Bertram.
"No, we have enough to land safely, but that's about it," Bertram said. "I'm going to land it near the old junkyard where we had the flying challenge."
"How come?" Wren asked.
"Cause I have an idea," Bertram stated.
"Coming from Bertram... are ideas good?" Grant asked the others.
"I just hope it's not another building challenge," Jet said.
"I wouldn't mind," Drenig stated. "At least if it's easier than what we did before with the flying machines."
Eventually, the helicopter landed in the junk yard. The junk-yard was near the water, because it was where garbage barges hauled stuff off. But it was also conveniently placed for the next challenge.
"Well, no fuel in the helicopter, so it looks like we have to go to plan B," Bertram said. Bertram was setting up for the commercial break. "So what will we have in store for the contestants? Please, stick with us in these dark hours."
-Whatever Floats Your Boat-
"Wow, we put our trust in THIS idiot to take care of our kids?" Marle asked.
"Dad! Stop treating me like a kid!" Grant shouted.
"Ugh, no one your age drags around their Halloween costume every single day," Marle stated.
"It's not a Halloween costume!" Grant shouted. "It's my everyday clothing!"
"Aww, be nice to the poor fella," Mortimer asked. "He just has an imagination. Did we not all when we were his age? Don't we all still do?"
"You pansies might," Marle stated. "But I'm perfectly normal, thank you."
"You don't seem very normal," Mortimer stated.
"Dearie, you're getting a bit cross ay there aren't ya?" Ignatia asked.
"No, I don't think so," Mortimer stated.
"Ay, why's ya back trickling sand out then?" Ignatia asked. "That usually happens when ya angry."
"Listen people," Bertram called out. "I still have a plan to catch up to the ship, but this might be a team effort."
"This was part of the script, right?" Bellina asked her son.
"Well I already broke the fourth wall once," Bertram muttered to himself. "Yes, this is part of the script."
"I don't mean to criticize your hosting skills," Dimitri started. "But don't you think breaking the fourth wall ruins some of the fun of playing and watching the show?"
"Uh, son, how often have you told the audience it's just a show?" Bartholomew asked.
"If I don't, the contestants do," Bertram mentioned. "But it doesn't matter. Time to start the challenge. Today we will be building... boats!"
"Ooh, our son's going to be good at this one," Mortimer told Ignatia.
"Really? Another building challenge?" Jet asked.
"Excuse me, but I think that's discrimination!" Squall shouted. "You're singling everyone out except him!"
"Oh for the love of..." Bertram started. "How hard is it to put a bunch of sticks and stuff together?"
"We don't have sticks, we have scrap metal," Shadow mentioned.
"No? There's lots of palm trees nearby," Bertram mentioned. "Get all your sticks and wood from those."
"That sounds like an absurd task for our son," Naomi said.
"That is where..." Bertram started.
"She is right, can't we at least help our sons and daughters build the boats?" Gerdy asked.
"...I was going to say "That's where you're wrong because you're all going to help," but now the point's moot," Bertram stated.
"We have never built boats before," Kanji stated.
"It still seems like a bogus task," Shadow mentioned.
"And what was that about a separate building challenge?" Ryoko asked.
"You know, one that failed?" Kiki asked. "Mom, he asked us to build dangerous flying machines."
"What? How irresponsible is that!?" Ryoko shouted.
"We've had enough, you're NOT sending our kids out to sea to die!" Kanju shouted.
"I'm not a kid!" Kiki exclaimed.
"Ugh! We have lifeguards on duty!" Bertram shouted, "I'll have you know Bellina is a very good swimmer and she will not let anyone drown."
"Why doesn't she just set out to blow the ship up?" Shadow asked.
"YOU'RE COMPLICATING THE SCRIPT!" Bertram roared. "Look, they're boats! Simple, wooden boats. Motors optional! Rowing mechanisms of some sort recommended! Oars, sails, WHATEVER! They're NOT flying machines! Surely you can build a boat!"
"Fine, we got the wood, we got scraps, but how do we put it all together?" Kiki asked.
"There might be screws and bolts in the scrap," Drenig mentioned.
"Come on guys, this will be fun," Wren said. "Plus, we get to bond with our parents. It's a family activity."
"Oh... yay... I get to work with *gulp* my dad," Grant mentioned.
"What's wrong little guy?" Wren asked.
"My dad scares me," Grant mentioned. "He's always scolding me for small things. He scares me even more than Kiki does. Do you understand what I have to go through with him? It's not fun."
"Aww, don't feel too bad, maybe you can switch parents for now," Wren said.
"That would make him angry!" Grant cried. "I don't want to unleash my dad's wrath."
"Well you could always... try to act normal," Wren suggested.
"Normal? How?" Grant asked.
"Well, you could take your costume off for starters," Wren said.
"Costume! These are my clothes!" Grants said.
"Taking them off till dad leaves isn't going to hurt you," Wren said.
"Well... alright, I suppose I could..." Grant started by taking his goggles off. Beneath his goggles, Grant actually had some nicely colored eyes.
"There, that's a start," Wren said. "Try to get on your father's good side."
"I'll... I'll try," Grant said. After he took his entire costume off, he went up to talk to Marle. "Uhhh... hi dad," Grant said to him.
"Oh, I see you took that stupid outfit off," Marle said. "You ready to be a real creature?"
"I... I just want your approval," Grant said.
"You need to work for that approval," Marle said.
"Dad! I just wanna get through this challenge peacefully," Grant whined.
"Is that so?" Marle asked.
"Uh, hate to break up the Father/Son bonding period," Bertram started. "But everyone else is outside working on their boats."
"Please dad," Grant said. "I just want to spend time with my mom."
"Awww, don't worry, we can do that," Naomi said.
"And I want to get away from Marle ASAP," Grant muttered to himself.
"What did you say!?" Marle yelled. Marle quickly smacked Grant on the cheek after that comment he made. Grant immediately started to cry and ran out the door of the helicopter. His mom felt a bit sorry for him.
"Marle, don't you think you were being a bit hard?" Naomi asked.
"He needs to learn some respect," Marle stated.
"But making him cry like that?" Naomi asked. "Now that I think of it, he's not cried like that since he was level twelve."
"Hmph! It's obvious we birthed a sissy," Marle stated.
As the families were getting situated, they could hear Grant running by them. He was crying the whole time. Kiki found this suspicious as usual, but Wren felt sorry for him. Drenig kind of did too. Jet thought nothing of it. All the parents... didn't know what to think.
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"I suppose I'll never be able to prove Grant's evil ways," Kiki said. "But I will never let my guard down. I have a sneaking suspicion he's crying just to get sympathy from us. ...However, I'm not going to try and antagonize him further in case I'm wrong."
-After Confessional-
Eventually, the families got their start on the boats. Wren and Kiki's parents were working with their kin side by side. Eventually they started to converse about things.
"So... you're a black belt in karate?" Dimitri asked.
"No, we're black belts in Judo," Ryoko mentioned.
"...What's the difference?" Gerdy asked.
"They're two separate fighting styles," Kanji mentioned. "Judo's all about grappling and using your opponent's force against them."
"I don't mean to be a braggart, but I was quite renowned for being a great fighter in school," Dimitri said.
"You?" Ryoko asked. "You don't look like the fighting type."
"Oh? They how about a friendly dual?" Dimitri asked.
"Dad, we're trying to build a boat," Wren stated.
"We need to figure out how to power the boat," Kiki said. "Is there a strong motor we can use?"
But Kiki's father ignored her. He didn't think much of Dimitri and wanted to see what he was capable of.
"Well... you ARE a fairy type," Kanji said. "And it's true neither fire nor fighting moves would actually be able to harm you much..."
"Just kick me or punch me then," Dimitri stated. "...Preferably in the gut somewhere."
"Dad! The boat!" Wren shouted.
"It's alright dear, I can help you," Gerdy said. "What if... we used a spinning mechanism with a crank and two wheels with two paddles each?"
"That... sounds like a fair idea," Wren said.
Ryoko was helping her daughter too. They had a different idea.
"Hmmm, what if we used sails and tried generating wind," Ryoko asked her daughter. "I'm sure we could find a propeller of some sort."
"Are you sure that would work?" Kiki asked.
"Not entirely, but you could use your arm strength to do the generating," Ryoko suggested.
"Well... maybe, but my arms would get tired," Kiki stated. "Still... it's worth a try."
Kanji was thinking about Dimitri's offer. Eventually he decided to go with it.
"Fine," Kanji said. "Just don't be surprised if this hurts."
Kanji thrust his foot right into Dimitri's gut. ...Dimitri didn't even budge or flinch.
"Now try again, this time my face," Dimitri said.
Kanji took his foot away from Dimitri's gut and then threw a fist at Dimitri's face. Dimitri grabbed Kanji's arm and then he pulled Kanji into his body before locking his arms to his weight. Kanji flailed about trying to escape his grasp, even going as far as to kick Dimitri a few times but nothing worked.
"Argh, let go already!" Kanji shouted.
"I spent a lot of time at school fending off Dragon and Fighting bullies," Dimitri stated. "My classmates call me Dimitri the Defender."
"Hmmm, it's true that you are quite strong for your species," Kanji complimented. "But I'd like to take you on in a real fight just to be sure."
"NO!" Kiki, Ryoko, Wren and Gerdy all shouted in unison.
"Maybe some other time," Dimitri said. "We have to help our offspring build a boat."
"Yeah, I suppose so," Kanji replied.
Later, over by Drenig and his parents, mom was helping Drenig build. ...But Mortimer was having a hard time doing so.
"I envy you fingered creatures," Mortimer said. "Being able to pick up a hammer and a wrench and being able to use them. I wish I could do that."
"By the way, ay son," Ignatia started. "How as life treatin' ya in tha villa? Hows ya job at the mechanical shop?"
"Ay made most of my best friends there," Drenig mentioned. "Including one of my best friends Richter. He's an Excadrill."
"Errr... how do they grab stuff, they don't have fingers either?" Mortimer asked.
"Ay, they sorta do, they're just claws," Ignatia stated.
"Richter has to be really careful," Drenig mention. "Ay tell ya one thing, Richter has a serious passion for L.A.R. P. ing as a space knight. One day ay went to one of his conventions, and that's where I met Dustin."
Meanwhile, next to his station, Drenig saw Jet and his father putting together a motor. They were testing it out and it seemed to work.
"Ha! The competitors are toast!" Jet shouted.
"That's the spirit, boy!" Squall encouraged.
Meanwhile, Shadow was supervising. She started to eyeball Drenig's ship and notice he didn't even have a mechanism for moving the ship yet.
"Especially from what I'm seeing," Shadow blurted out.
"Uh, you know you could make yourself useful and find some oars," Squall mentioned.
"Why, he already has a motor," Shadow said.
"Well just in case the motor doesn't work out, he has a back-up plan," Squall mentioned.
"Are you second-guessing yourself?" Shadow asked.
"No, I'm sure, I just think we should have a plan B," Squall mentioned.
"Dad... what could POSSIBLY go wrong?" Jet asked.
That sort of scared Squall. That was a sign that something was, in fact, about to go wrong.
"Shadow, please get the oars," Squall said.
"He said..." Shadow stuttered.
"Just get them!" Squall shouted.
"Fine, fine," Shadow mentioned as she trailed off.
Drenig couldn't help but smile at Squall. Even if Jet and his mother were total dinks, Squall seemed like he could be a likeable guy.
-Confessional Session(Drenig)-
"I do kind of admire Squall for, well, let's just say being smarter than his wife and kid," Drenig mentioned. "I think if Squall apologized for what he said to Dimitri, I would actually have some respect for him."
-After Confessional-
Meanwhile, Grant was working by himself behind a tree. He only had a few boards put together. He... was not making good progress on his boat at all. Eventually, Naomi came to her son's aid.
"Grant? ...Do you want to talk?" Naomi asked.
"Oh... hi mom," Grant stated.
"Son, I know Marle can be a jerk at times," Naomi said. "But you have to realize he's only trying to help you. He just wants you to be a civilized creature and he... doesn't exactly agree with the fact that you like to act as an evil scientist and, personally... I'm not sure it's best for you either."
"I grew up watching cartoons mom," Grant stated. "I've always liked the bad guys. I never truly wanted to be one, but I still like pretending to be one."
"How do other contestants feel about it?" Naomi asked.
"Some accept it, others do not," Grant said. "If everyone hated it, would I likely have gotten this far?"
"I... I don't know," Naomi said. "But remember, your father loves you and cares for you. He's just... trying to look out for you."
Grant started to think for a bit. He was unsure what to say.
-Confessional Session(Grant)-
"If I overdo the drama, people will just think I'm a sensitive crybaby," Grant stated. "...But I won't gain the competitors trust OR sympathy if I just man through it. ...Hmmm, how to use a happy medium to my advantage."
-After Confessional-
"He can help, just don't let him hurt me," Grant said.
"I'll try not to let him hurt you," Naomi said. "Marle... Marle are you there?"
Marle eventually approached the two. Marle seemed to show sympathy for his son.
"Yes... I'm here," Marle said.
"Marle... Let's help our son build the best boat we can," Naomi told him.
Marle bent down and hugged his son. He wanted to seem calm for his son.
"Yes, lets leave the others at the shore," Marle said.
"Huh? Wait, what's going on?" Grant asked himself. "Oh no, now Marle's acting like a father to me. This is going to ruin the sympathy I'm trying to get. What to do."
"Huh? What are you mumbling about?" Marle asked.
"Dad, that was a soliloquy, you're not supposed to hear that," Grant said.
"Uhhh... you know you can't actually preform a soliloquy with people around, right?" Marle asked.
"It's true," Naomi mentioned.
"Anyway, I found something that should prove to be useful for our boat," Marle said.
Eventually, Marle brought out two very large fireworks rockets. Then he pulled out a shard of glass.
"Attach these rockets to the boat, tie the fuses together, then use this glass to direct the sunlight to the fuse to burn it," Marle said.
"Mwehehehe, excellent," Grant said. "Duh, I-I mean... Wow, thanks dad?"
"Don't forget these wooden paddles for when the fireworks fuel runs out," Naomi told her son.
"Thanks mom and dad," Grant said. "...But we still need to make the boat."
Eventually, everyone's boats were made. Wren's boat incorporated two makeshift paddle wheels, Kiki's used lots of wind and a sail, Jet's used a motor, Grant's used rockets, and Drenig's used... something different. He had two balancers at the sides of his boat, and a small motor, much smaller than Jet's but it had a square slab covered in a big cloth.
"Gee, nice boat Drenig loser," Jet said.
"Please, you have too wide of a boat," Shadow mentioned. "Boats need to be slender."
"Unfortunately I also need a boat that supports my own weight," Drenig mentioned.
"Then you shouldn't be riding a boat then," Jet said.
"Sorry man, but that's the challenge," Drenig stated.
"I have to wonder, how long have you put up with that guy?" Mortimer asked Drenig.
"Oh, you would not believe," Drenig said.
"Does your boat even have a way of moving around?" Shadow asked.
"Oh, trust me. It's far ahead of what you got," Mortimer stated.
Eventually, Bertram and his parents came to the beach to explain the rules. Each of them were carrying bombs and jackets.
"I hope you had fun building with your son and daughter," Bertram said. "However, I am afraid your sons and daughters will be going on their boats alone."
"BUT fortunately we have flying cameras we can use to show the situation at sea," Bartholomew mentioned.
"All your sons and daughters have to do is swim to the side of the boat, climb onto it, then go through the ship till you reach the engine room, then steal a life-raft on the ship and sail back to shore," Bellina explained.
"Each of your sons and daughters will also be wearing these jackets," Bertram mentioned. "In the back of the jacket is a big pocket to keep your bomb in."
"The first son or daughter to place an explosive in the ship and return to shore will win," Bartholomew mentioned.
Bertram started to hand out the jackets and the contestants put the jackets on. But the parents were a bit worried.
"What happens to the hard work we put in with our children?" Gerdy asked.
"We will salvage them later," Bertram mentioned. "The blast from the bombs should only be enough to sink the ship, they shouldn't be able to destroy nearby boats as well."
"What if a bomb blows my son up?" Squall asked.
"Do I need to repeat myself?" Bertram asked.
"Oh right, not real bombs," Squall reiterated.
"Err, maybe we should quicken up the chit-chat," Bartholomew stated. "The boat's almost out of sight."
"Right," Bertram stated. "Alright Team Mol-Tres, start your engines and devices!"
The contestants got into their boats to prepare for the challenge. There was a good feeling among the contestants."
"You know, after all those challenges of going to a big place and fighting bad guys, this is a nice breath of fresh air," Kiki mentioned.
"There could be bad guys on the ship though," Drenig mentioned.
"So what, I'll take them on," Jet mentioned.
"Your parents will be watching the entire situation on screen," Bellina mentioned.
"There are screens everywhere on the peninsula," Bertram mentioned. "And of course there's one nearby."
"Ummm, Kiki?" Ryoko called out before Kiki left.
"Yes mom?" Kiki asked.
"We just wish you the best of luck," Ryoko said.
"Remember your training Kiki," Kanji said. "You've got this. You've got this whole competition in the bag."
"...What training, you mean for the boat?" Kiki asked. "...Oh wait, never mind."
"So, without further delay..." Bertram started. "Take your marks and.. GO!"
Wren and Kiki were the first to move their ships. However, Kiki's was a little faster. But eventually, Jet reved up his motor and he was right out of the gate, quickly going past Kiki.
"Ha! That's my son!" Shadow called out.
"...That's OUR boat," Squall mentioned.
But meanwhile, Drenig pulled the cloth off of his slab to reveal solar panels. His boat was the third to leave, but his solar motor wasn't as fast as Jet's motor. But Drenig knew he had one thing going for his motor: Longevity.
Grant was the last to get his boat going. He seemed to be struggling with the glass.
"No no no no no no no no, come on," Grant whined. "I have to impress my father."
But suddenly, he managed to ignite the fuse on his rockets. Suddenly, his rocket blasted forward: Past Wren, past Kiki, past Drenig, and way past Jet. Grant was the last to leave, but he had the fastest boat. The contestants could hear him cackling as he sped past.
Meanwhile on the shore, Bertram was about to lead their parents to the screen. The same one he tried to get the contestants to build flying machines on.
"Well, care to watch the race?" Bertram asked. "I'll make popped Cornn berries."
"Ay, no puff-cornn fa me, no thank you," Ignatia blurted out. "Gets stuck in mah gums, and it's a kick to tha sunshine getting all tha pieces out."
"Good thing I don't have gums," Ryoko mentioned.
As the parents walked off, the contestants were on their way to Dagger Eyes barge. Who would be the first to make it back alive.
-Hate to Barge In-
"Ha! My boats faster than there's!" Grant shouted as he watched the ocean. Eventually he neared the boat. "Now, all I have to do is wait for the rockets to stop, then row... uhh... wait a minute! ARGH! NO!"
Grant's rockets propelled the boat so fast and far that the boat flew past Dagger Eye's barge. The rockets were still propelling him forward.
"Curse you FATHER!" Grant screamed into the blue.
This let the door wide open for Jet, as he was getting closer to the barge as well. Jet was feeling pretty confident.
"Ha! Looks like that Grant kid's not there," Jet said to himself. "Just a little further and..."
But suddenly, Jet's motor stopped. It had run out of gas.
"Oh come on, not now!" Jet cried as he pulled hopelessly on the cord, trying to get the boat to go. "Come on, come on! We're almost there."
This let the door open for Drenig to come from behind. Drenig couldn't help but smile at Jet's misfortune.
"What's the matter Jet?" Drenig asked. "Did your motor run out of fuel? Mine has a limitless source!"
"Har-dee-har-har!" Jet called out. "Now how you actually going to stop the boat?"
"Put the cloth over it!" Drenig called out.
"And how do you get on the ship without a place to CLIMB OFF OF!?" Jet called back.
Drenig stopped to think for a moment. Something recently dawned on him.
"...Maybe that's why boats only have balancers on one side," Drenig said to himself.
-Confessional Session(Drenig)-
"Okay, so I'm not a boat expert!" Drenig shouted. "We at BigBoss motors generally only work on land vehicles. We don't work on boats very often, especially not non-mechanical ones. You only see those ballancers on non-mechanical boats."
-After Confessional-
As Drenig got to the ship, that's where his quandary reached a breaking point. How would he get off his boat and onto the ship? He could not swim.
"Nargh, man I didn't think this through," Drenig said to himself. "I could saw through the balancer near the boat with my teeth, but... that would technically be cheating. I could try to jump, but there's no way I'd make it. ...I could turn the boat to it's bow. ...No, the stern is sturdier I think. ...But then again the motor's in the way. ...Bow it is."
Drenig tried to turn his boat so that the bow of the boat was facing the ladder on the side of the ship. After successfully doing so, he reached for the bars of the ladder and grabbed a hold of them. ...Then he realized he couldn't climb very well either.
"Oh man!" Drenig shouted as he couldn't get proper footing on the ship to reach his feet to the bars. Poor Drenig.
Meanwhile, Kiki was coming up on Jet. She saw Jet trying to row his way to the ship and couldn't help but smile.
"Motor thing didn't work out, did it?" Kiki asked.
"Hey mama, your ba-ba needs upsies," Jet said, pointing to Drenig who was dangling on the barge's ladder.
"...He's not my "ba-ba," Kiki said. "And "ba-ba" usually refers to a babie's bottle, not the baby itself."
"Well in any case, it doesn't look like you're not going to get on board until you get past the big guy," Jet said.
"No problem, he's the least of my worries," Kiki taunted back.
Eventually Wren caught up to Jet as well. He... actually thought nothing of the fact Jet wasn't using his motor. But Jet couldn't help but laugh.
"Hey pipsqueak," Jet called out. "Nice ride there."
"Thanks, me and my parents built it," Wren said.
"Now see, normally you only have to say something once. No one likes being told things over and over," Jet said. "Also, I was being sarcastic."
"Are you sure your boat's any better?" Wren asked. "Your mechanism seems very basic."
"I originally had a motor, but that broke!" Jet shouted out.
Eventually, Kiki swam her boat to the side of the ship where Drenig was still dangling. Kiki shook her head at the sight.
"Need a little help big guy?" Kiki asked.
"Ay man, help would be nice," Drenig said.
"Okay, but remember the second I get up to the top you're done for," Kiki stated.
Kiki pushed under Drenig's feet and tried her hardest to lift him. Eventually, Drenig managed to grab a higher bar and reach his leg to the lowest bar. He was then able to pull himself up and climb the ladder.
"Thanks Kiki, I owe ya one," Drenig said.
"No problem," Kiki said.
As Drenig got high enough, Kiki climbed the ladder next. She had no problem pulling herself up.
Meanwhile, over with Grant, he was still waiting for the rockets to wear off. ...Not a very fun task.
"Ugh! My father is always ruining everything!" Grant shouted. "The other contestants are probably at the boat by now! Oh if I go home because of him..."
Finally, Grant's rocket thrusters wore off. This made Grant slightly relieved.
"Phew, that is finally over," Grant said. "Now I have to sail back to the boat. Ugh, but I'm farther away now. ...I'll just have the meat the boat there. It's still moving so I can get there fast enough. ...Hopefully."
Eventually, Kiki made it all the way up the ladder to the deck of the ship. Drenig was at the top of the ship, looking around for something.
"Huh, Kiki?" Drenig asked. "I... don't see anyone here."
Kiki looked around the deck. She too found it odd that there weren't any guards up there.
"That is odd," Kiki said. "Why aren't there any guards? Did Dagger Eyes run out of militia?"
"Maybe Dagger Eyes didn't think we'd actually know about the boat," Drenig stated. "Maybe He got too confident this time around."
"In any case, we have to find the boiler room," Kiki said.
Just then, Wren had come up on deck. He smiled as he saw Kiki and Drenig at the top.
"Hey guys," Wren said. "Good luck in the challenge. Of course you'll have to race me in the process." Wren started thumping his left foot, which showed a general sense of confidence in Wren's abilities. "And just so you know, racing on land's just about my forte."
Wren immediately got into a sprinting position and shot down inside the ship. Deep down, Kiki and Drenig were not feeling confident with themselves.
"Do you think we can outrace him?" Kiki asked.
"Ay know one mon who could," Drenig stated. "Maybe we should focus more on making sure Jet doesn't."
"Drenig... Our parents are watching," Kiki mentioned. "They'd want us to at least try. Any other time I'd be on board with that idea, but right now I'd rather make my parents proud so... I'm gonna go for it."
Kiki ran off down the hall and left Drenig in the dust. Drenig was unsure what to think about the situation.
"Well ay don't have any snowball's chance," Drenig said to himself. "So maybe..."
Just then, Drenig heard Jet climbing up the side of the ship. Jet had just made it to the top.
"Ha! I'm still in this race," Jet said.
"Ay man, not so fast!" Drenig shout.
"Not so fast?" Jet asked. "I invented fast."
Jet walked up to Drenig who was in the doorway of the hall. Drenig thrust his arms out, trying to block Jet's path.
"You shall not pass!" Drenig shouted. "...I watched a lot of movies with Dustin and Richter."
"What the heck!?" Jet shouted. "Drenig! Behind you!"
"Come on Jet, no one falls for that anymore," Drenig stated.
...But suddenly, Jet hopped around Drenig. All Jet needed was a slight distraction to throw him off.
"Oh well, worth a try," Jet stated as he hopped past. "You're too slow Drenig!"
"Drat," Drenig said as he tried his hardest to run after Jet.
-Confessional Session(Jet)-
"Trying to outrun Drenig is like trying to outrun a rock," Jet said. "The only difference is that Drenig is even slower."
-After Confessional-
Grant had finally made it back to the barge. He was really trying to hustle to catch up with everyone. When he got to the top, he was quite angry.
"Ugh, I'm too far behind," Grant shouted to himself. "There has to be a shortcut somewhere. ! And there it is!"
Grant eventually found a hatch across the ship. Grant noticed it was closed, which may have suggested no one used it. He pulled on the hatch and it was locked tight, which CONFIRMED that no one used it.
"Looks like everyone took the longer route," Grant said to himself. "I still have a chance!"
Grant eventually opened the hatch and started to climb down it. He was hoping to catch up with everyone else and beat the others to the boiler room.
Meanwhile, Kiki was running through the ship. She STILL had not encountered any guards. ...Nor had she caught up with Wren. ...But it looked like Jet caught up to her.
"Hi Kiki! Bye Kiki!" Jet shouted as he hopped past.
"Oh no you don't!" Kiki shouted as she ran after Jet.
Meanwhile, Wren had just made it to the boiler room. He was the first to make it there. Eventually he found the main pressure tank that he assumed he was suppose to set the bomb on. Wren quickly placed the bomb there and then ran off back up the ship. It didn't take him long to pass Jet.
"I'm gonna beat you this time!" Wren shouted.
"Hmph! So he still remembers the time I shamed him in the very first episode," Jet said before he looked at the location of the bomb. "Well, we will see about..."
Suddenly, Jet heard a loud noise. He looked over in the room and saw Grant climbing down a ladder. As Grant hit the floor, he saw Jet and started to get worried.
"So that shortcut wasn't short enough," Grant said to Jet.
"Hmmmm, shortcut huh?" Jet said as he placed his bomb down. Jet was starting over towards the ladder. That's when Grant decided to think fast.
"Hey doggy! FETCH!" Grant shouted as he threw the bomb at the other bombs.
Grant quickly climbed up the ladder. But Jet was climbing not just the ladder, but Grant too. As Jet grabbed onto Grant, Grant started to panic and he fell. He took Jet with him in the process.
...But Jet recovered from the fall quicker. Jet raced back up the ladder and onto the deck. Grant followed him in suit.
"Ha! Bye bye losers!" Jet shouted as he ran to the side of the boat
Just then, Kiki got to the boiler room as well, and heard Jet's cry. That's when she saw Grant climbing up the ladder. She knew things were not well. Kiki put her bomb down and raced after the ladder, climbing up it after Grant.
...But soon, things became a four-way race as Wren came out of the hallway and back onto the deck. He was sprinting off to the side of the ship when he saw Grant and Kiki climbing up the hatch.
"How did you guys get here?" Wren asked. "There was a shortcut?"
"No time to talk," Kiki said. "Jet's in the lead right now!"
"Don't worry, I'm not going to let him outrace me again," Wren said as he, Kiki and Grant ran to the side of the ship where they saw Jet carrying a lifeboat off to the side of the ship. Jet was looking confident right now.
"Light's out losers, time to eat Jet stream!" Jet said as he climbed down the side of the ship.
Grant followed Jet down the ship. Grant was trying to beat him as well. Kiki was next, and she was about to jump off the ship. ...But then she thought of something.
"What's the hold up?" Wren asked. "Is something wrong?"
"Drenig's still back there," Kiki said. "You go on and beat Jet Wren, I have a task to do."
Wren saw Jet get into the water and start to paddle off. Grant was right behind him. But Wren wasn't going to try and climb slowly down the ladder with a lifeboat: it would take too long. So Wren grabbed a lifeboat, hopped to the edge and jumped off.
"Cannon ball!" Wren shouted as he plummeted to the water with his raft. Wren tried to get in his raft as fast as he could and then paddled off as fast as he could. Although he had the least amount of qualms with Jet, he was still determined to beat him.
Meanwhile Kiki ran to the hall of the ship. ...It did not take her long to reach Drenig, as he was running up the ship at the time.
"Drenig!" Kiki shouted after bumping into him. Drenig eventually pulled the bomb off his jacket and put it down on the deck.
"I'm sorry," Drenig said. "I just... I tried but I didn't want to waste my time in an event I had no shot of winning."
"I suppose there will be time for disappointment later," Kiki said. "We have to catch up to Jet, come on!"
Eventually the two ran off to the side of the boat to get their lifeboats. They were trying to join the chase as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, Grant was treading behind Jet. Jet seemed to be really cocky at this point.
"Tough luck Grant, looks like you're going home today," Jet said.
"I don't think so frog-face," Grant said as he tried to catch up. "Once I race past you, no one will forget this day that you lost."
"Ha! As if you have any shot at besting the best!" Jet called back.
"The only thing you're best at is having a gigantic ego!" Grant shouted.
"Awww, feeling a burn?" Jet asked. "Here, let me cool you off."
Suddenly, Jet splashed water at Grant using the lifeboat's paddle. The splash hit Grant's face, and Grant tried to power through it. ...When suddenly, Grant started to show some very unusual actions.
"Oh no, the furries can swim too?" Grant asked as he looked around the water. Suddenly, Grant looked up and started to panic. "AHHH! GIANT KRAKEN!"
Grant was having nightmares again. And it was safe to assume the "Kraken" he mentioned were just nightmare images of Aria. Suddenly, Grant started to panic and went overboard. Grant was pretty much out of the race at this point and Jet couldn't help but laugh.
"Ha ha! Nothing is in my way now!" Jet cried. "I win! I WIN!"
"Guess again, upstart!" Suddenly, Jet looked back and saw Wren paddling away at the water. Wren was going pretty fast and he was gaining.
"Argh! No way, I'm too far in the lead!" Jet said as he started paddling with all his might.
...But Jet was getting nervous, and that was costing him ground. He kept looking back and saw Wren getting closer and closer. Jet tried what he did to Grant by splashing water in Wren's face, but that did nothing. Eventually Wren caught up to Jet.
"What's the matter Jet?" Wren asked. "You getting nervous? Maybe you should take a few breathes and relax."
Ironically, Wren was actually trying to be helpful. Maybe Wren was gaining confidence again.
"Nice try Wren, but I'm winning this race!" Jet shouted. "Take this goody clown-shoes!"
Jet tried poking at Wren's lifeboat, trying to push him away. It was slowing Wren down, but Wren didn't give up. He fought back.
"No way! I'm gonna win this for my friends," Wren said. "And for my family!"
Wren and Jet started to battle it out. They were trading blows left and right trying to knock each other about.
"You're not passing me, pipsqueak!" Jet shouted.
"Just watch me!" Wren countered.
Jet took a mighty swing at the side of Wren's lifeboat and knocked it to the side.
"Ha!" Jet shouted in confidence.
But Wren came back. Wren leveled up his boat again and took a mightier swing right at the front of Jet's lifeboat. This sent him way off.
"Huh? No! NO!" Jet cried as we went of the path.
...But that wasn't the worst part for Jet. Jet looked down at his boat and it now had a hole in it. Jet's lifeboat was sinking.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Jet cried as he tried frantically waving his paddle around. ...But Jet got nowhere fast. Eventually, Jet sunk into the ocean.
Finally, Wren had made it to the shore with his lifeboat. Wren hopped out of his boat and thrusted his paddle in the air triumphantly.
"I did it!" Wren proclaimed proudly. "I beat Jet!"
It was as sudden as that that Bertram and all the parents came onto the shore. Bellina went out to the water to see if she could fish Jet out of the water, and Wren's parents were there to give him their best wishes. ...You guessed it, Dimitri gave Wren his best hug.
"My son! Congratulations!" Dimitri yelled.
"Way to go champ!" Gerdy proclaimed in suit.
Eventually, other contestants got to shore. Grant was the first to reach shore. Grant eventually walked over to his parents with a bit of sorrow in his face. Kiki and Drenig appeared on shore at about the same time. They walked over to their parents. And eventually, Bellina came back with Jet in her arms. Jet was shivering right now. Not from the cold water, but at the thought of losing a challenge he thought for sure he'd win at.
Marle looked down at his son in anger as he came up to him. Grant looked up at his father, showing the sadness in his face. Marle saw his son's sadness, and showed a little bit of sympathy for him.
"...You did your best," Marle said with a smile. "That's all you can ever hope to do is your best."
"Really? Thanks dad," Grant said happily.
"Awww, that was nice of you to say Marle," Naomi said to him.
"Yeah well you are kind of right," Marle stated. "Maybe I should start being nicer."
Drenig and his parents were watching the situation unfold. They all thought it was heartwarming.
"Awww, maybe that Marle character isn't such a bad dude," Mortimer stated.
"Ay we don't even give aw own son that kinda encouragement," Ignatia mentioned.
"Oh you guys don't have to feel bad," Drenig said. "Trying to better ourselves is part of being mortal."
Eventually, Drenig and his parents joined in a hug. They were happy for each other.
Meanwhile, Kiki was talking to her parents. Kiki seemed kind of disappointed.
"I guess being a black-belt in Judo doesn't translate to being cold and serious in competition," Kiki stated.
"Not necessarily Kiki," Kanji said. "But you did portray one of life's most important lessons."
"The way of the warrior should not be to fight your foes," Ryoko started. "But instead to fight for your friends. And we admire you for caring about your friends safety."
"That's ALSO part of being mortal," Kiki said, implying she heard what Drenig said. Eventually, Kiki's parents ALSO joined for a group hug.
...But one family was not happy right now. Shadow was angry at her son for losing. Squall still did try to stick up for him.
"Aww come on Shadow, he put up a good fight," Squall said.
"Brrr, thanks dad," Jet whimpered. Jet hugged his father tightly, but was still shivered and shamed when he was doing so. Shadow still looked angrily at her son.
And that ended today's challenge. Everyone headed back to the bunkers were a party would be thrown.
-Don't worry: It's only Three More Days-
Back at the bunkers, Mignon had prepared cake and ice-cream for everyone. And being the winner of the challenge, Wren and his parents got first dibs at the cake. Of course, Dimitri was about to take a bigger piece than he needed before Gerdy stopped him.
"Now now, Dimitri, leave some for the others," Gerdy said.
"Oh, sorry about that," Dimitry said, cutting off his piece till he had a more reasonable chunk.
The party ensued for a little bit before Bertram came into the bunker they were celebrating in. Then he began to announce something.
"I hope you enjoyed parents day at Quarantine," Bertram said.
"I... I did kind of," Grant said as he looked up to his parents. "Marle's not shown this kind of compassion in a long time.
"If you really do wish for respect, you only need to ask," Marle said before hugging his son again.
"I've not so humiliated in my life!" Jet whined. "Right in front of my mother!"
"A wise man once said," Kanji started. "Big ego sees big defeat, big ego becomes big loser, big loser throws big tantrums."
"Where does it say that in any wise words?" Ryoko asked.
"He may have made it up," Kiki said. "But it seems to hold true. A lot of times, the people with the biggest egos are the poorest sports."
"Alas, I'm afraid I have some bad news," Bertram said. "It is time for your parents to say goodbye."
"What? We can't stay for the night?" Mortimer asked.
"Ay aint no seen my son in a long time!" Ignatia shouted.
"I wish I could allow you to stay," Bertram said. "But tonight we will see another elimination... and I'd rather you not see your offspring leave in such a devastating ceremony."
"It's not like it's any secret who's going home," Shadow stated.
"Mom, don't you think I feel miserable enough!?" Jet asked.
"Jet... I don't think I've ever been more ashamed of you in my life," Shadow said before she walked out the door of the bunker. Squall, on the other hand, tried to be more supportive towards his son.
"Don't let her words get to you," Squall said. "She still loves you. And you should know I love you too."
Squall gave his son another hug to comfort him in his sorrow. Eventually, everyone was giving hugs out to their beloveds.
"Goodbye mom and dad," Drenig said to his parents. "I'll be sure to send you some of my winnings if I win."
"Goodbye mom and dad," Grant said to his parents. "And thanks for being supportive dad." Grant then muttered something under his breath. "Even if I wanted you to mistreat me to get sympathy from the other contestants." ...Marle nor Naomi noticed him saying that.
"Goodbye mom and dad," Kiki said to her parents. "I will never forget my training... or all that you two have taught me."
Eventually, everyone started to leave the bunkers. But before they did, Wren decided to call something out.
"Hey Squall!" Wren shouted. "Before you go, mind apologizing to my father for what you said to him earlier?"
"Oh... yeah I'm sorry for calling you fatso," Squall said before shaking Dimitri's hand.
"Hey, no hard feelings," Dimitri replied back.
Eventually, all of their parents were heading up to Quarantine's exit. Kiki, Wren, Drenig and Grant went outside to say their last farewells. Outside they saw Bertram giving a hug to his own parents. He seemed to be squeezing Bartholomew especially tight.
"Thank you for coming mom and dad," Bertram said to the two. Eventually, Bertram shed a tear. "It's nice to see you guys here. ...You got to see how successful your son has become. ...Are you proud of me?"
"Of course son," Bartholomew stated. "We would be happy to be your parents even if you were poor and not successful."
"Take care son," Bellina said. "And good luck in future endeavors."
Finally, all the parents were heading out the door where the Quarantine chamber would usually be. Before they left, they all called out back to their offspring.
"Bye!" They all shouted out.
"Bye!" Kiki, Wren, Drenig and Grant called back.
And with that, the parents were gone. This was a day the contestants would probably remember most fondly in their time on Quarantine. ...Everyone except Jet that was.
The rest of the day was uneventful. Soon, night came and so did another Quarantine ceremony. Everyone gathered at the usual spot and Bertram started it up.
"Okay... I suppose I could make this short and sweet," Bertram said. "Wren is safe, Kiki is safe, and Grant is safe."
Jet was still shivering at the moment he lost. He seemed to have been devastated.
"I should have won that challenge," he whined.
"Jet," Bertram started. "You could be going home because you're probably the most unlikeable creature any of us have ever met." Bertram then turned over to Drenig. "And Drenig... oh what's the point, Jet's the only one who voted for you. Which means it's finally time we say goodbye to the annoying yapping football frog."
"No! This isn't over!" Jet whined as Bertram was dragging him out. "Next time! There will be a next time!" Even after Bertram threw him in the chamber, Jet was still wailing. "I will defend my honor next time! I will defeat every one of you! Everyone who did me wrong!"
Finally, Bertram pushed the button and the chamber filled with gas. And yet, you could STILL hear that annoying frog.
"YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THE LAST OF MEEEEEEEE!" Jet called out from the fog.
But finally, FINALLY, it was all over. The smoke cleared, Jet was gone, and viewers can rest easy knowing he will not be the winner of Quarantine.
"This almost feels like a cause for another party," Bertram said. "But four contestants left, and tomorrow is the day we try to end Dagger Eyes and his campaign. You guys should rest for now, because tomorrow will be a big day."
Eventually everyone went back to their bunkers. It didn't look like anyone left the area unhappy. Eventually, Bertram went on to do the epilogue to the episode. ...Right after blowing into a handkerchief.
"Jet's finally gone and my parents got to see me be successful," Bertram cried. "This is the happiest day of my life." ...Then Bertram got more serious. "Next time on Quarantine we will finally put an end to Dagger Eye's game. ...But with two more episodes after that, what will we do with the rest of the show? Oh well, I'll figure something out. Until next time we say goodbye for now."
-Next Time On Quarantine-
"This should have been done a long time ago."
Contestants must scour the peninsula in search of Dagger Eye's potion factory.
"It can't be that hard to find."
But will Dagger Eyes unleash his ultimate wrath upon the contestants.
"Finally time to unleash... the Hypno-bots!"
Contestants will REALLY need to use their heads in this episode if they want to stay alive.
"I need to do all I can to realize my quest."
Will the contestants such down Dagger Eyes factory and put a stop to Dagger Eye's evil plans.
"Oh... I sure hope so."
All this and more on the next episode of Quarantine: Potion Pariah.