Episode 16: Potion Pariah
-Last Time On Quarantine-
"Flying platform? Dropping it in Dagger Eye's mouth? Wait..."
I know the episode 14 foreshadowing said the contestants would get videos of their parents...
"We have some very special people visiting us."
...But instead the contestants got to see their parents in the flesh.
"Dad! Why do you always have to do that?"
Contestants bonded with their parents by building boats for the day's challenge together.
"We have never built boats before."
The contestants then had to go to a mysterious barge to blow it up.
"Err, maybe we should quicken up the chit-chat. The boat's almost out of sight."
The race proved hard for some, but others found themselves in their element.
"Of course you'll have to race me in the process. And just so you know, racing on land's just about my forte."
Jet thought he had the entire thing in the bag...
"Ha ha! Nothing is in my way now! I win! I WIN!"
Until Wren sent him to Davy Jones locker.
"I did it! I beat Jet!"
Elimination was no surprise. Jet was FINALLY sent home. Nine lives my paw!
"YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THE LAST OF MEEEEEEEE!"
There are FOUR contestants left. ONLY FOUR! Who will leave the race today? Find out on this episode of... Quarantine.
-It's Time To End This-
Deep out in the ocean, Dagger Eye's ship was still sailing. ...But not for long. Up in the control room high on the ship, a Hypno was sailing the ship. He seemed a bit larger than Medulla. ...Suddenly, the Hypno heard a boom and found that his ship was tilting backward. The Hypno started to get worried, and called Dagger Eyes on a small phone he was carrying.
"Dagger? Lord Dagger?" the Hypno started. "I just heard a loud boom down below the ship, and now our ship is sinking!"
Over with Dagger Eyes, you could still only see a blackened image of Dagger Eyes, except he had a monstrously huge arm gripping onto a tiny phone. Dagger Eyes eyes started to glow red.
"RARGH! THIS IS INSULTING!" Dagger Eyes roared. "MOST OF OUR POTIONS ARE ON THAT SHIP! WE DON'T HAVE ANOTHER SHIP TO WORK WITH!"
"I don't know what to tell you!" the Hypno shouted. "I'm going dooooown!"
Eventually the communication ended and Dagger Eyes became furious. This called for SERIOUS measures.
"MEDULLA! GET IN HERE!" Dagger Eyes erupted.
Eventually, Medulla the Hypno was summoned to Dagger Eye's quarters. Eventually silence ensued the room again. Until eventually Dagger Eye's eyes started to slant and Medulla started to cower.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU'VE RAN OUT OF PLANS!?" Dagger Eyes screamed.
"Well..." Medulla stuttered. "Vower's gone, Hespute's gone, Pandora's gone, Gola's gone, we have little army to work with, and now we have no way of distributing the rest of our potions.
"DAGGER EYES IS NOT GETTING HIS WAY!" Dagger Eyes roared. "AND YOU AND EVERYONE ELSE DOES NOT LIKE DAGGER EYES WHEN HE IS NOT! GETTING! HIS! WAY!"
"Well I don't know what to tell you," Medulla stuttered. "Maybe we should just... give up."
"WWWWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" Dagger screeched, going absolutely ballistic. Suddenly, Dagger Eyes fired more lasers at Medulla. Medulla started to dance for dear life.
"Okay! Okay! I'll think of something!" Medulla yelled.
More silence ensued the room, Dagger Eyes still had that angry look on his face. After a few more minutes, Dagger Eyes eyes slanted a bit less.
"Do you think they can wipe out the rest of the contestants?" Dagger Eyes asked.
"Yes," Medulla stated. "I wipe them out and then we go from there."
"It won't work," Dagger Eyes said. "I have a nasty feeling about it."
"You have any other plans?" Medulla asked. ...There was a pause. "I thought so."
"It looks like we don't have a choice," Dagger Eyes said.
More silence ensued before we see Bertram in his control panel. Deep down, Bertram felt a bit... sad.
"I made myself way too powerful," Bertram said to himself, worried about ratings. "People are going to call me Gary Stu, and my reputation is going down the drain. ...Then again I was captured by both Vower AND Pudge. ...That Pudge kid got me twice now that I think of it. ...But being able to bug the whole peninsula? I mean sure, it's MY peninsula, but still. ...Maybe I should have made myself less powerful. ...Oh well, too late now. And soon it will all be over for Dagger Eyes anyway."
As Bertram went back to watching the screen, we check on the contestants. You'd think with Jet gone there would be a sound sleep. ...But you'd be wrong. Grant was having nightmares, as what has become usual. And his nightmares woke everyone up.
"Forgive me giant Kraken Queen," Grant cried out. "I just wanted some salt-water taffy!"
Kiki was kind of used to Grants night terrors, and had a good idea as to why he had them. Wren was too polite to say anything while everyone was sleeping. But Drenig was pretty annoyed by it.
"What do you mean the furries want their taffy?" Grant asked. "I want taffy too! Please giant Kraken Queen. No... What are you doing!? The furries are all attacking me! The giant Kraken Lady is singing in a screeching voice! Let go of me you perverted freaks! I don't have a page in my pockets! I swear! I don't have a page! NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Grant was referring to the page he planted to get Abigale eliminated that one day. ...But of course everyone who knew the incident well is now gone. Grant is the last member of the old Team Artic-Uno. The other three remaining contestants were all Zap-Dos members. Ironic, that on Team Mol-Tres he didn't seem to have any followers.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Grant shouted. "SAVE ME MUFFY! THE GIANT KRAKEN HATES FAIRIES! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
"Ay man, do you mind already!?" Drenig shouted. "Ay, we all have nightmares, but we don't shout them out at night! ...I may have as a kid, but we grow out of that phase!"
"Huh? What's going on?" Grant asked right after waking up to Drenig's shouting. "Why are you yelling at me?"
"You're sleep-confessing again," Kiki stated, waking up as well. "The giant Kraken hates fairies? Krakens are often associated with Malamar, who happen to be weak to fairies. Hmmm, I wonder if that giant Kraken you see in the nightmares you're having is Aria."
"And the furries you keep mentioning," Drenig mentioned. "... There WAS a furry contestant, right?"
"Yes, there was," Kiki said. "Is she involved too?"
"Guys, I don't mean to interrupt," Wren started. "But Drenig, you do realize I had nightmares two mornings ago and I shouted in my sleep too."
"Ay... Ay guess ya did," Drenig mentioned.
"Guys? Why do you keep assuming my dreams are about the contestants?" Grant asked. "They're just bad dreams."
"Recurring bad dreams?" Kiki asked.
"Yes, I had a bad dream, I keep thinking about it at night," Grant said.
"Guys, maybe we should leave him alone for now," Wren said.
"Wren... don't take his side," Kiki said. "He cannot be trusted."
"I'm not saying he can," Wren stated. "I'm just saying I'd rather sleep now and interrogate later."
"Now that I think of it..." Kiki let out a big yawn after saying the last sentence. "I could use a little sleep."
"Yeah, I guess we'll talk about it later," Drenig said. "Of course that's assuming someone doesn't wake us up again by shouting in their sleep at the top of their lungs!"
"I'll... I'll try not to," Grant said.
-Confessional Session(Wren)-
"It's true Grant is a very suspicious character," Wren said. "But I'm still not sure I know the full story. I don't trust him, but at the same time I don't want to be mean. Maybe it's just because I don't like being mean, even when I need to be mean. ...Does that make me a bad person?"
-After Confessional-
Eventually everyone went back to sleep. Things were peaceful again. ...Until morning came. Bertram showed up on the screen, and you guessed it, he had something important to say.
"Today is the day!" Bertram called out. "Today is the day we infiltrate Dagger Eye's base and destroy him once and for all!"
"...Could that not have waited till we were all up?" Kiki asked.
"Well I don't know when you're awake, so I have destined times," Bertram said.
"Yeah you do," Drenig stated. "You have cameras everywhere except the bathroom."
"...Oh... That's right I do," Bertram said. "Well since you're already up, I might as well tell you to get some breakfast in. In a while I will meet you in the kitchen. Then I will lead you to Dagger Eye's headquarters. This should have been done a long time ago."
"How do you know everyone's locations?" Grant asked. "Are you a wizard or something?"
"...I knew giving myself the ability to see all was a bad idea," Bertram muttered to himself. "In any case, please proceed to the kitchen and begin eating your breakfast, then we will talk."
"I don't mean to sound like I'm asking for spoilers," Wren started. "But after we beat Dagger Eyes, what will we do then? Aren't there two more episodes?"
"Well... yes there are," Bertram said. "I do have plans for tomorrow's episode. I plan on making the final episode a team event of some sort, but so far that's all I got."
Kiki couldn't help but feel suspicious. Neither could Drenig, Wren, nor Grant.
-Confessional Session(Kiki/Drenig/Wren/Grant)-
"Let me guess," they all said in their confessionals.
-(Kiki)-
"Something is going to come up in the final episode."
-(Drenig)-
"We find out in the final episode that Dagger Eyes is not defeated yet."
-(Wren)-
"He has one final plan to destroy the peninsula."
-(Grant)-
"And that we have to fight him in one final battle against Dagger Eyes."
-(Kiki/Drenig/Wren/Grant)-
"It's not like this show's script has been all that creative thus far."
-After Confessional-
In the kitchen, Wren, Drenig and Kiki were working on breakfast. Grant was allowed to come in today, but the others were keeping their eyes on him. Still, Grant knew one thing: Wren didn't think as little of him as the others did. With that in mind, Grant decided to talk to Wren who was frying some hash browns at the time.
"Hey Wren," Grant said. "How has the game been treating you?"
"Huh? Oh fine I guess," Wren said. "What do you think Bertram meant by "team event?"
"I don't know, but I do know one person I don't want on my team," Grant started. "Kiki. I am sick and tired of her bullying me all the time."
"I am not sure I know what to say," Wren said. "I just think Kiki sees you differently than some do. And I... notice it in Drenig too."
"Well what do I have to do?" Grant asked. "What do I have to do to gain people's trust?"
"Well, I suppose one thing would be to confess," Wren stated.
"Confess what?" Grant asked.
"Well, what things have you done the event?" Wren asked.
"Besides the whole made-up villain ploy?" Grant asked.
"Well Kiki seems to think you got Aria AND Muffy eliminated," Wren stated. "And... to be frank... Come on Wren, you can do this."
Wren hesitated to say what was on his mind. He had so many things floating inside his brain. If he was wrong and he said he was suspicious of Grant, he would feel awful inside if he caused further harm to an innocent. Maybe he WAS too goody-goody.
"To be frank, I think even if you didn't do any evil," Wren started. "That maybe it's best to confess as if you did and apologize for things even if you didn't do them?"
Needless to say, that was not what Wren wanted to say. Wren wasn't even sure THAT was the best thing he could say.
"I want them to like me more, not less," Grant said. "If I confess about things I did, even if I didn't actually do them, they'll just despise me. Kiki doesn't seem like the forgiving type."
"I... I'm only trying to help," Wren said. "I've never been in a kind of situation where people don't trust me."
"Why did Muffy have to go?" Grant asked. "She was the only one who trusted me."
"Yeah Muffy... she was a nice kid," Wren said. "I wish she didn't have to go."
-Confessional Session(Grant)-
"Muffy was a whiny, juvenile brat," Grant said. "And after the way she treated me when we were on Team Artic-Uno? She really thought I forgave her for all the times she abused me? And her alliance with that horrible vegetarian chick? Plus, they would probably have voted her off anyway in the long run. I mean, I could have let Drenig get kicked off that one day, but I don't really know much about Drenig. I don't know whether to like him or hate him, nor if I can still use him as an ally, especially since he's connected to that hideous Combusken Kiki. ...Still, it's worth a shot."
-After Confessional-
"Maybe you can vouch for me," Grant said. "Drenig seems like a nice guy. I just wish I could prove to him that the things Kiki is saying about me are lies. He seems more understanding than her."
"I don't know," Wren said.
"Come on, those two are just friends," Grant said. "There isn't a reason we can't be too."
"I... I suppose I could try to vouch for you," Wren said.
"Thanks Wren," Grant said. "You're a good person, you know that?"
"Some say I'm too good," Wren said.
Later that day, they were all separating hash browns, bacon and eggs into four equal portions. Before they started to eat in the kitchen, Wren wanted to talk to Drenig alone. He noticed Drenig was talking to Kiki at the time.
"Say, Kiki," Drenig started. "I don't think I ever asked, but... what did you want the prize for?"
"Well... mostly charity," Kiki said. "I want to help my dojo out too. ...And kids around the world who have been disabled due to un-needed violence."
"Yeah, I'm kind of the same way," Drenig said. "I want to help BigBoss motors out while giving money to charity as well."
After a few seconds, Wren butted in.
"Say Kiki," Wren started. "Can I borrow Drenig?"
"Why ya need me?" Drenig asked.
"Mostly wanted to talk about stuff," Wren stated.
"Okay, have fun," Kiki said.
Wren lead Drenig outside. That's where he started talking to Drenig about Grant.
"I don't know what to do," Wren said. "I tried talking to Grant about my suspicions earlier, but... Part of me still wonders if we're wrong about him. What if Kiki IS lying?"
"Wren, let me tell ya one thing," Drenig said. "Kiki is probably one of the most honest people I know. Kiki has no reason to make things up about anyone. And you have to admit, that Grant kid aint right. Sorry man, but I'm sticking with Kiki on this one."
"I... I have my doubts and hunches too," Wren said. "I'm just... afraid to say anything."
"Wren, I don't want to sound like a jerk," Drenig started. "But you need to tell him how you feel. Grant is lying to you by telling you he's done nothing wrong. He tries to act innocent and special to churn sympathy out of us, but you should not let him do that. I mean come on: All the things Kiki saw, like a room without Aria in it, and what she saw the day Muffy was eliminated, and all the things he's saying in his sleep about furries and giant Krakens. Face it, Grant's a crook. And this is coming from someone who's species name starts with "crook."
"I know he's suspicious," Wren said. "But I don't want to jump to conclusions. I just... don't like being mean."
"Sometimes Wren, you have to be mean," Drenig said. "Sometimes in life man, doing and saying the right things is a challenge. You could think you're doing the right thing by being nice, when in reality you could be feeding the beast. That's my input on things."
"Wow... That's kind of profound," Wren stated.
"Hey, sometimes the mind can be your strongest asset," Drenig said.
"Okay... I'll try and tell him how I feel," Wren said.
"Sometimes there's no try, only do," Drenig said.
"...Isn't that an absolute?" Wren asked.
"Perhaps," Drenig confirmed. "But it's got some truth."
"Well... thanks for the talk," Wren said. "You can go back to talking with Kiki now."
The rest of the morning till Bertram arrived was uneventful. But it was certain the rest of the day would not be.
-Beginning of the End?-
Bertram had just came out of the Mol-Tres bunker. He then walked over to the kitchen where everyone was cleaning up after breakfast. Inside he walked over to an old door that didn't seem to get any notice from the contestants.
"Well... here we are," Bertram said. "This is where we hope to put an end to Dagger Eyes once and for all."
"...And the door is relevant how?" Grant asked.
"This, my friends, leads to the UNDERWORLD!" Bertram shouted.
"...No... It doesn't," Kiki said.
"Uhhh, yes it does," Bertram said.
"The underworld doesn't exist," Drenig mentioned.
"No, the underworld is as real as you or me," Bertram said. "Where do you think all those ground types make their homes?"
"...Uh, me and Dustin live in the Darkness Ridge," Drenig mentioned.
"Fine, where do you think Diglets live?" Bertram asked.
"Underground?" Wren asked.
"That's right, the UNDERWORLD!" Bertram shouted again.
"...No, just underground," Kiki said.
"Also known as the UNDERWORLD!" Bertram shouted a third time.
"Stop saying that, there's no underworld," Grant said.
"...The "Underworld" is just the world under the ground," Bertram clarified. "What did you THINK I meant?"
"...The literal underworld?" Wren asked.
"That was literal," Bertram mentioned. "So anyway, down in the underworld, Dagger Eyes keeps the remaining potions and their factory."
"And you want us to destroy it?" Kiki asked.
"Yes, but first there is something even more important you must do," Bertram said.
"Ey, you mean collect samples of that super virus Gola mentioned," Drenig stated.
"...Ugh, an open book as usual," Bertram muttered. "Yes Drenig, find the super-virus."
"That doesn't sound too hard," Wren mentioned. "Although now that I think of it it's probably well guarded by Dagger Eye's remaining army."
"ENOUGH!" Bertram roared. "Now you listen here you scoundrels. I am the host of this show! Not you, not my parents, ME! So stop blurting out the script before I say it!"
"Okay," the contestants said together.
"Now..." Bertram resumed. "This underground passage leads secretly to Dagger Eyes lair. Dagger Eyes army is mostly destroyed right now, so there's not much to worry about. ...Except..."
"You know, now that I think of it, you say you see everything," Grant mentioned. "But it took you how long to see the ship?"
"...Hmmm, he has a point," Bertram muttered to himself with a smile. "Uh, as it turns out I don't actually have cameras hidden in the underworld's entirety. There are places Dagger Eyes dug out himself that I do not have cameras in. Before this point, we did not have a ship-yard, so I do not have graphical footage of what's probably a ship yard. Naturally there are other areas underground I probably do not have access to." He then muttered again. "Man, Grant saved my bacon there. That's why he's my favorite contestant."
"You're WHAT!?" Kiki shouted.
"Ha ha! I'm Bertram's favorite!" Grant gloated.
"That was another soliloquy," Bertram said. "I believe Grant brought the term up yesterday."
"I'm better than you guys! I'm better than you guys!" Grant chanted and sang.
"...Please knock it off," Bertram said. "Just cause you're my favorite doesn't mean I'm giving you special rights or anything.
"Oh, okay," Grant said. "I was getting a bit happy there."
"Now, Team Mol-Tres... Final four..." Bertram started. "After you have retrieved the super virus, you must then make your way to the potion factory and find an automated pad that controls the conveyor belts. You must find a way to speed up the belts to throw off potions, and then stop it to a screeching halt, speed it up again, then stop it again, until you see a red light flash on the belts. That is when you must smash the control panel. The machine will go ballistic and be destroyed. But afterward, there may be other obstacles to face. The first Pokemon to bring their potion back here will receive a one-way ticket to the next episode. Any questions?"
"What kind of obstacles?" Drenig asked.
"You'll find out," Bertram said.
"So it's a surprise?" Wren asked.
"Sort of," Bertram said. "No surprise I'm setting up, but a surprise none the less."
"And what do we do to Dagger Eyes?" Kiki asked.
"Nothing," Bertram said. "Without his potion factory, we won't need to do anything."
"I knew it! We're going to..." Kiki started. But before she finished, she stopped herself. "No, I shouldn't say that. I'll provoke Bertram's wrath."
"Good girl," Bertram said. "Silence is golden. ...Now, without any further hesitation... The underworld awaits."
Bertram turned a key into the door and opened the door up. He revealed a flight of steps leading down into very VERY dark depths. The contestants were... weary about the steps in general. You couldn't see down them.
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"Dark scary tunnel? I can take that," Kiki said. "The unknown? Not knowing what to expect? That's what I'm trained to combat. This could very much be a true test of courage for me to overcome."
-After Confessional-
The contestant were all wandering in the darkness, only going where the stairs lead them. No one knew where they would end up, only that it might not be pleasant.
"Anyone have night vision?" Drenig asked.
"Why would we need night vision?" Kiki asked. "It's a linear path."
"It's still kind of spooky," Drenig said.
"You're not scared, are you?" Kiki asked.
"Not scared enough to turn tail and run," Drenig said. "That and I'm used to darkness. What I aint used to are leaky ceilings. I do not like dripping water."
"What? That's an odd fear," Grant said.
"Actually I can relate perfectly," Kiki said. "I have lot's of athletic abilities, but swimming is far from one of them. Getting water to drip over my head..."
"Not very pleasant really," Wren said.
"Huh? You too?" Grant asked. "But you're electric type."
"Electricity and water don't mix," Wren said. "Water makes electricity grow erratic and unstable."
"Huh, you learn something new every day," Grant said.
"Now that you mention it, there's something I'd like to learn," Wren said. "Grant... I just... I don't know how to say it..."
"Go on, say it Wren," Drenig said.
"Say what?" Grant asked.
"That... that..." Wren was stuttering again. "That can wait till we find the light."
"Found it!" Grant blurted out.
Finally after climbing down steps, the saw some slivers of light near the bottom. The light was shining in a Y formation, and it was uncertain where it was coming from. But there was no where to go where you got to the light.
"Maybe it's a secret passage," Kiki said before pushing around the cracks.
Sure enough, as she pushed on the cracks, they started to widen and give way. As Team Mol-Tres ran past the cracks, they noticed that after everyone went out, the passage behind them was in the shape of several innocuous looking rocks. Wah-lah, a secret passage.
"I don't know who to compliment for this ingenious design," Drenig said. "Was it Bertram or..."
"Bertram," the other three said in unison.
"Yeah, that makes more sense," Drenig agreed. "Now... where do we find the super virus?"
"It can't be that hard to find," Kiki sad.
"Hopefully there will be some sort of sign," Drenig said.
"We can only hope," Kiki agreed.
Eventually, Kiki and Drenig trailed off, leaving Wren and Grant behind. This was a good opportunity for Wren to tell Grant the truth.
"Why don't we let them go for a bit, I want to talk to you," Wren said.
"Sure Wren, what is it?" Grant asked. "Have you convinced Drenig to trust me?"
"No, he's about as heavy set as Kiki is unfortunately," Wren said. "And to be honest... well... I... I can't do it."
"Spit it out," Grant said. "What do you wish to say?"
"I... I..." Wren gulped his spit down his throat. He then tried to act brave in his next words. "I don't trust you either!"
"What!? That's not what I expected," Grant said.
"Aria was my friend, and I can not believe she would turn evil," Wren mentioned. "Sure, she wasn't perfect, but she never lied to me."
"But... But I don't have a reason to lie either," Grant said.
"Kiki thinks you do," Wren said. "And yesterday, you DID admit to imitating Aria's voice, and even though you said you were tricking Jet, I don't know if I believe you when you said you didn't immitate her voice to eliminate her."
"Wren, I swear by Muffy's elimination," Grant started. "Yes, I can imitate her voice, but I swear as Arceus is my witness that I did NOT imitate her voice to get her eliminated! And besides that, Muffy was my friend! Why would I want her eliminated?"
"Was she your friend?" Wren asked. "Was she really your friend? Or was she just someone you used till you didn't need her anymore?"
"What do you mean?" Grant asked. "I was depressed! It's because YOU and your FRIENDS drove me to getting myself eliminated! And beside that, I could easily have let Drenig get eliminated! And I needed him much less than Muffy!"
"So you did need her," Wren said.
"That's not what I meant!" Grant shouted. "I am sick and tired of being bullied! All of you! Worthless! I can't trust any one of you! You're ALL under that witch Kiki's spell!"
"Grant, don't cry," Wren said, starting to have second thoughts on his approach.
"I thought you were a good person!" Grant whined. "You're just as much of a bully as they are!"
"Grant, wait, stop!" Wren cried.
"No! Get away from me!" Grant cried. "I'm sick and tired of every one of you guys! You are the worst friends I've ever known! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Grant started to cry again while walking away from Wren. Grant kept looking back at Wren constantly, wondering if Wren would fall for his routine. ...And what do you know, Wren totally did.
"Wait, Grant! I'm sorry!" Wren shouted. "Maybe... Maybe they ARE wrong. Maybe you ARE a nice person."
"You... you mean it?" Grant sobbed.
"I... I just don't want to seem like a bad person for doubting you," Wren said.
But little did either of them know, Drenig and Kiki were watching. They did not like what they were seeing from Wren.
"Oh for Pete's sake, he's faking it!" Kiki shouted.
"Huh!? Where did they come from?" Grant asked.
Drenig and Kiki approached Wren and Grant. Drenig started to shake his head.
"I told you to tell him what you really thought of him," Drenig said.
"I... I can't do it," Wren said. "I just feel like such a bad person for it."
"What did I say that sometimes doing the right thing isn't always easy?" Drenig asked.
"I know," Wren said. "But I just hate being the bad guy."
"Sometimes it's important to be the quote/unquote "bad guy" to unveil the true bad guy," Drenig stated.
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"I never knew Drenig had such a creative thought process," Kiki said. "He's smarter and cooler than I thought."
-Confessional Session(Drenig)-
"I don't like being the bad guy either," Drenig stated. "People expect us Krookodile's to be all shifty and what-not, but this show has probably taught you not to follow stereotypes. MANY people on this show have deviated from stereotypes."
-After Confessional-
"You... YOU GUYS ARE ALL AGAINST ME!" Grant cried.
"It's over pipsqueak! Give it up!" Drenig shouted.
"YOU GUYS ARE TERRIBLE!" Grant bawled. "I HATE YOU GUYS! I'M GOING TO WIN THIS COMPETITION FOR MYSELF! Just... WAAAAAAH! HERE COMES THE DOOOOM!"
Grant rushed off down the hallway. Wren felt terrible for Grant, and what Kiki and Drenig were doing.
"Good job Drenig," Kiki said. "If we can all keep this up, we can expose him."
"You... You guys don't think you're bullying him?" Wren asked.
"No we don't," Drenig said. "We know he's up to something, and we plan on phishing it out of him."
"Yeah, well you guys are being jerks about it," Wren said.
"Are you nuts Wren?" Kiki asked. "He doesn't deserve to be treated like a friend."
"No one deserves the way you're treating him," Wren stated. "Not even Jet."
"Wren, snap out of it!" Drenig shouted. "GRANT! IS! NUTS!"
"You guys ever stop to think that maybe, just maybe, you are wrong about him?" Wren asked.
"No, I really don't think I am," Kiki mentioned.
"Listen Wren, I know it may seem like we're being complete and total jerks," Drenig mentioned.
"Yes, you are," Wren said.
"But even you know that deep down he isn't right," Drenig said.
"We're not trying to be bad people Wren," Kiki mentioned. "We just want Grant to tell the truth. I'm just not sure how we can be nice about it."
"While we admire you for wanting to be nice," Drenig started. "We still think that this is a situation that calls for being hard. Please understand."
"I... I... I don't know what to think," Wren said. "I... I need some time."
Wren bolted down the hall to find Grant. Deep down, he didn't know who's side to be on.
-Confessional Session(Wren)-
"I know those two are not bad Pokemon," Wren said. "But I still don't approve of the way they're treating Grant. On the other paw, Grant is still a suspicious creature. I really don't fully trust him. I... I'm not sure what to think."
-Confessional Session(Grant)-
"So that's it," Grant said. "I guess no one's going to buy the fake tears business. Guess there's nothing left for me but to..."
Grant did the usual routine of switching his mood. What an enigma.
"No, I can still harvest pity from Wren," Grant said. "If I can just act sad for long enough, I'm sure I can be able to get him back on my side. ...Though I have to make sure I get rid of Kiki. But there's no way Drenig's going to vote for her, and I can't count on Wren either. ...Just to be sure, I have to find a way to win the challenge. That way, I can survive and me and Wren might have a chance to double up on her AND I won't be in jeopardy of getting a stab in the back from Wren. ...But what will happen then? Kiki and Drenig will vote for Wren, I will vote for Kiki, and hopefully so will Wren. ...This show's never had a tie breaker before."
-After Confessional-
Eventually as Grant ran down the halls pretending to cry, he came across a suspicious room. The room had a big picture of a syringe on it with green liquid. Grant had an inkling right now.
"Hmmm... I wonder what this room could be," Grant said to himself. Grant looked around the hallways to make sure the coast was clear, then opened the door. Inside he saw four vials each with green liquid in them. "There it is... the super virus."
As Grant approached the vials, Wren came running in. Wren seemed genuinely sorry for what he said.
"Grant," Wren started.
"WAH!" Grant turned around. "GET AWAY FROM ME YOU HORRIBLE CREATURE!"
"No... I just want to say I'm sorry," Wren said. "I'm sorry for how I acted and I'm sorry for how they treat you. ...I'm afraid the only thing I'm not sorry for is having my hunches. ...But please, can you forgive me and we can still be friends?"
"But you still don't trust me," Grant whined.
"No, I trust you, I trust you," Wren said. "I just... don't want you to feel hurt anymore."
"Well... okay," Grant said. Then he turned around and muttered to himself. "Hmmm hmmm, it's working," he said to himself.
"What was that?" Wren asked.
"Huh? You must be hearing things," Grant said.
-Confessional Session(Wren)-
"Yes... just like that," Wren said. "Act like his friend while still being suspicious. Can't be too hard, right?"
-After Confessional-
Eventually the other two came by and neither Wren nor Grant have grabbed a vial. But Drenig was already approaching the vials.
"So this must be the stuff Gola injected Lilly and Muffy with," Drenig said.
"You don't say," Kiki said sarcastically.
"Well, I suppose we should each take one," Drenig said.
"Again, you don't say," Kiki reiterated.
"Yeah you're right, no one likes a captain obvious," Drenig said as he grabbed a vial.
Suddenly a siren sounded off. The room they were in started to flash red as well.
"That can't be good," Drenig said.
"For a third time, you don't say," Kiki reiterated.
Meanwhile, Bertram was watching the cameras. He couldn't see the contestants, but he could hear the sirens going off.
"Uh oh, sounds like trouble," Bertram said. "But what kind of trouble will Team Mol-Tres face. Find out when we return... to Quarantine."
-Red Alert-
"Yup, kind of figured things wouldn't be that easy," Kiki said to the group.
It was then they heard a familiar voice in their current location. They could just make-out Medulla's voice in the background.
"This is it, vermin!" Medulla shouted. "This is where we will arrange your cremation ceremony! This is where we will FINALLY put a stop to you! And believe me, Dagger Eyes is counting on me to destroy you, or else he will destroy me!"
"Aww, is Dagger Eyes still trying to outdo Grant the Dastardly?" Grant asked. "Such a sad, pitiful creature."
"Sorry, but in the game of you or us, I choose us," Kiki shouted.
"Oh you don't have a choice, trust me," Medulla shouted. "Once you come across my latest, you're history!"
"Ooh, your latest, huh?" Grant asked.
"Your idea of a killer robot is a bunch of otherworldly fruit stacked on top of each other," Drenig mentioned.
"This is it! You won't be laughing soon!" Medulla shouted. "I will make sure I finish you for lord Dagger Eyes!"
After about half a minute, nothing happened. Wren started to seem suspicious of Medulla.
"Well? Where is it? Where's the latest?" Wren asked.
"Maybe we should find the controls to the conveyors and worry about that later," Kiki suggested.
As the contestants walked through the halls, they did not know they were being watched on screen. Medulla was inside a dark room, wrenching a bolt on his "latest." It was a large silver Hypno-shaped robot. ...Several of them even. While doing so, he was watching the progress of the kids.
"Finally," Medulla said to himself before pulling out a big control pad. "Finally time to unleash... the Hypno-bots! ...What? Was I supposed to name them after myself? ...Then again, Medulla-bots sounds pretty neat too. ...Nah, Hypno-bots is good."
He then proceeded to press the control panel he was carrying. The Hypno-Bots eyes started to glow blue.
"Exteeeeeerminate!" The Hypno-bots shouted. in unison.
"Now go fourth and destroy those contestants!" Medulla shouted.
"Exteeeeeerminate!" The Hypno-bots repeated before walking out of the room.
"Hmmm... I wonder if the makers of Dr. How would be angry if I made the robots say that," Medulla said to himself. "Nah, it's okay to do that in a reality show. ...I think."
Meanwhile, the contestants finally reached the end of the hall where they came across a huge room. In the room there were conveyor belts everywhere. There were grabbing claws, pouring spouts, mixers, analyzers, all sorts of strange machines. And they were four big sets of them. Each of them had a long catwalk and a ladder leading up to the control panel.
"Does it make a difference which one we go down?" Wren asked.
"Probably not," Kiki said. "The two farther away have more linear paths while the ones closer to us wind a bit more. Overall, I'd say all paths are about equal."
"Yeah, the math checks out," Drenig mentioned.
But as they each started going down paths, that's when they heard the robots coming. The faint, clanking metal did much to unnerve the contestants.
"I have a bad feeling right now," Drenig said.
"Exteeeeeerminate!" Soon, the Hypno-bots came marching in. The second Grant saw the robots, he stuffed his hoof in his mouth and started chattering his teeth. Grant was kind of scared.
-Confessional Session(Grant)-
"Woooooooow," Grant started. "I've never made anything that impressive looking. ...But of course, what kind of evil genius would I be if I did not set out to make even STRONGER robots. I must dismantle one and steal its secrets. ...If possible."
-After Confessional-
Before the contestants went up to their control panels, they looked around for some laser guns. ...But they didn't find any!
"Where's the projectile shooters?" Grant asked.
"Oh, I made EXTRA sure you would die down here," Medulla said. "That's why I made sure to remove every laser gun from the factory before you came. Good luck trying to destroy the factory now!"
The catwalks DID have some loose railing, which would serve to make decent weapons. Grant, Wren and Drenig would need them, but it seemed like Kiki could hold her own. ...Or so she of the mechs got closer and she went to attack.
"Alright loser," Kiki said. "Taste the wrath of Kiki's talon!"
Kiki sent one swift punch into the mech. ...But pulled it away after ward in pain.
"Ow! Ow, ow," Kiki said to herself.
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"Yeah, that wasn't a good idea," Kiki said. "I keep forgetting the limits of the mortal hand. I can chop through logs, but I can't chop through metal. ...Not yet anyway."
-After Confessional-
Kiki ran up her path and got to see the others swinging their pipes at the heads of the robots. Drenig was the first to utilize it, knowing the head is usually a weak point even for robots. Grant and Wren followed in suit. Wren decided to have fun with it.
"Take ME out to the baaaaall game," Wren sang as he hit a robot in the head. "Take ME out with the croooowd!" Every time he would say a certain word, he'd hit a robot in the head. Usually two hits per line. "Buy me some peanuts and Craaacker Jacks! I don't care if I EVER get back for it's root! Root root for the hooooome team! If theeey don't win it's a shaaaame! For it's one! Two! Three strikes, yer out at thee oooold baaaall gaaaaame!"
Kiki knew they had the right idea, so if her fist didn't work, maybe a hard metal bar would. Kiki started swinging her bar at the robots and was having better luck as they came towards her. Eventually the contestants managed to knock out all the robots, giving them a clear path to the conveyor belt operation platform. ...Medulla was not happy, but didn't seem to be done.
"You kids got lucky for now," Medulla said. "But you will NOT leave here alive!"
"Blah blah blah!" Grant shouted at Medulla.
Eventually everyone got to the control panel. ...And that was where they found out they needed a code.
"How did I not think it wouldn't be this easy?" Kiki said to herself.
"Hey! Half-wit!" Grant shouted out in the open. "Tell us what the code is!"
"Who ya calling half-wit, bozo?" Drenig asked.
"That Medulla creep who thinks he's better than us!" Grant called out again.
"Oh, okay, just checking," Drenig said.
The contestants waited for five minutes but got no reply from Medulla. He wasn't telling them anything.
"Hmmm... If I were a secret code, where would they store me?" Drenig asked himself.
"I suppose now would be a good time to examine Medulla's latest," Grant said to himself.
Wren had no idea where to find the code. He decided to type in random keys.
"Hmmm, it's only a four digit code," Wren said. "One, one, one, one. ...Nope. One, one, one, two. ...Nope. One, One... Oh, I didn't even see the zeroes. This might be harder than I though."
Kiki was starting to think outside the box. She was wondering if the code was relevant to the group.
"Hmmm, what if it's the names of the villains?" Kiki thought for a moment. "Bower, Hespute, Gola and Dagger Eyes. Two, eight, seven, four. ...Nope. ...Worth a try thought. ...No wait, Hespute's real name was Goat. Two, seven, seven, four. ...Still no."
Meanwhile, Grand was checking the robots for their data. He pulled one of the robots apart and found a bunch of mother boards. The biggest one had the number 4629 on the side of it. ...Grant thought nothing of it.
"Hmmm, I am sure I can use these mother boards for my own evil purposes," Grant said.
Meanwhile, Drenig pulled a robot apart and found the same number on a big mother board. Drenig knew it was relevant.
"Bingo," Drenig blurted out. "Ay, just what I need."
That's when it hit Grant that the motherboards were relevant to the challenge. Grant pulled out a mother board he stuffed in his lab coat and read the number on it.
"Resplendent," Grant said to himself as he shoved the motherboard back into his lab coat and went to the conveyor control center.
Wren and Kiki were getting nowhere with their guessing games. They started to think about their options.
"What would Drenig do?" Kiki asked herself as she looked around. Then she found her answer as Drenig was walking away from the robots. "Check the robots!"
Wren also figured out to check the robots as well. He was, however, the last to figure that out. And by the time he even reached the robots, Drenig was putting in the code.
"Awright, four, six, two, nine," Drenig blurted out as he typed in the codes.
The control panel on his screen then proceeded to tell him to input a key card. Grant, who had ALSO just put his code in, felt the same burn.
"Oh come on!" they both shouted in unison.
Grant pulled out his motherboard and looked over it. Nothing that resembled a key card was on it, so he assumed there were some back by the robots. ...Of course, so did Drenig as well.
Drenig reached the robots first and noticed Wren was still working on finding the code. Suddenly, Wren stumbled upon something else that looked important.
"Huh, a strange card inserted into the robots," Wren said. "Something's telling me to hold onto this."
Wren eventually did find the motherboard code as well. He then proceeded to make his way back to his station with his items in his mouth. Of course as Drenig was watching Wren, that gave Grant some time to find the card before him and slip right by.
"Mwahaha! Suckers!" Grant called out as he went back to his station.
"Huh, Grant's a sneaky little fella when he wants to be," Drenig said as he started looking for the card.
Suddenly, he noticed Kiki was searching for the card as well. She had just input her code and how had to find another object.
"It's in the back of it's left leg," Drenig called out.
"Huh? What is, the card?" Kiki asked.
"Ay! You better hurry, cause Grant's on the move!" Drenig called back.
"Good to know!" Kiki returned as she grabbed the key and headed up.
Wren was the first to make it back to his station. He quickly typed in the code, inserted his key, and he was in.
"Okay, all I have to do is..." Wren started to himself. ...Suddenly, Medulla's voice came out again.
"NO! Stop working! Get away from the machines if you want to live!" Medulla shouted.
"What makes you think your empty threats will deter us?" Grant asked.
"Because if you don't leave soon, you will face the wrath of my SUPER Hypno-Bots!" Medulla shouted.
"Your old bots became scrap metal," Kiki shouted. "What makes these any different?"
"Because these bots are over-the-head weaponry resistant!" Medulla shouted.
Eventually, some more clanking could be heard. The contestants looked to the doorway and saw some more robots. ...But these were gold and had purple glowing eyes.
"And resistant to just about any type of damage," Medulla mentioned. "Should I mention they also have lasers?"
"L... Lasers?" Grant asked himself.
"This just keeps getting better and better," Kiki said to herself.
Wren still tried to focus on the machine. But while doing so, he couldn't help but think of Grant. He wanted to be nice to him, but at the same time, he knew he didn't deserve kindness. He was hoping he could beat him.
-Confessional Session(Wren)-
"I don't want to be mean to him," Wren said. "But at the same time, I don't want him to win. I know he isn't right but... I feel like a broken record. I feel like I've already said this stuff. ...But sometimes it's hard to help it."
-After Confessional-
"Okay, just speed the machine up to full blast," Wren said before inputting the command. His side of the factory started to work much harder. "Then press stop all."
That was common practice, but Wren was going at it the wrong way. So was Grant.
"Just keep pressing the buttons till the machines break," Grant said to himself as he kept pressing the buttons. ...Of course he was giving the machine no time to work up before shutting it off, so his method wasn't working.
Drenig, on the other hand, had a better idea. He was going at it the opposite way.
"If ay know machines well enough," Drenig said. "I should wait for the conveyor belts and stuff to hit full blast for a while then screech it to a stop. Then wait for the machines to stop completely before turning the machines on again."
But as he was putting his plan to motion, he noticed a laser shoot right above him. The Super Hypno-bots were gaining on him. Still, Drenig's strategy was working. He sped the conveyors up and bottles started to tip over and smash. Stopping the machine caused the bottles to launch off the conveyor belts.
Meanwhile, Grant was starting to get frustrated. He didn't know why the machine wasn't breaking.
"Come on, come on! How many buttons do I have to press?" Grant shouted.
At that time, even Wren and Kiki were figuring it out before him. No one payed Grant a glance besides Drenig, who couldn't help but shake his head at Grant's practice.
-Confessional Session(Drenig)-
"No, no, no, you're not supposed to mash buttons," Drenig said. "That will just destroy the control pad, not the machine. Sometimes ay wonder if Grant truly is competent as a player. ...Then again, he's made it this far."
-After Confessional-
Eventually, Drenig's success worked. The light on his side of the factory started to flash, and all the machines on his side were falling apart. ...But the downside was the Hypno-bots were gaining on him. Drenig tried swinging the railing at their heads again, but as Medulla said, it didn't work.
That's when he noticed the conveyors were in his reach. With no other way to go, Drenig hopped on the conveyors and started down his side of the factory.
Kiki was watching Drenig and seemed a bit proud of him. He could be really smart when he wanted to be.
"Drenig's scaling down the conveyors!" Kiki called out to Wren. "How is your machine coming along Wren?"
"It's coming along okay, I think," Wren called out.
Just then, they both heard a scream from Grant's side. Grant was really getting frustrated.
"WHY! WON'T! YOU! BREAK!?" Grant shouted. "COME ON! COME OHOHON!"
"Hey Grant! Try slowing the button pressing down!" Wren called out.
"Wren, no!" Kiki shouted.
"Wait for it to get to speed, then shut it off!" Wren called out. "Then wait for it to stop completely and turn it back on!"
"Wren, are you an idiot!?" Kiki shouted. "Never tell your competitors how to play, even your friends at this point!"
"Sorry, I kind of felt sorry for him," Wren said. "I... I don't know what to think about him, like... Like I'm torn between two thoughts! I don't trust him, but I don't want to be mean either!"
Both Kiki and Wren had gotten their sides of the factory destroyed by the time Wren had finished his sentence. Kiki was kind of mad at Wren for what he did.
"You better hope he doesn't end up winning because of you!" Kiki called out as she scaled down her side of the factory.
Wren trailed down his path as well. They both left Grant in the dust.
Even though Grant was catching up, so were his Hypno-bots. Eventually, Grant managed to destroy his side of the factory. But the robots were right on him.
"Exteeeeeerminate!" the Super Hypno-bots chanted.
Grant started to back away to the conveyor belts. He looked at the fleeing contestants and to the robots. Suddenly Grant gave a nervous look to the robots.
"Okay, okay, I surrender," Grant said. "Don't hurt me! Don't hurt me!"
What was Grant thinking right now. This seemed way too odd for him to do. Meanwhile, what would the other three contestants come across in the conveyors?
-Treadmill Skill-
Drenig traversed through the conveyors until he came across a large box where the potions came out of. Drenig tried to crawl through what he assumed was the analyzer. On the other side he saw the conveyors from the four factories joining together. After Drenig finished crawling through his analyzer, Wren sprinted right through his. In situations where most creatures would have to crawl, being a quadruped came in handy.
"Hey Drenig," Wren greeted.
"Oh, hey man," Drenig answered back. "Crawling through those analyzer's must be a piece of cake for you quadrupeds, huh?"
"Yeah, you would be right to assume that," Wren stated. "Drenig, can I ask you something?"
"Sure man, what do you want to ask?" Drenig asked.
"Am... Am I TOO nice?" Wren asked.
"Well..." Drenig was probably going to say something Wren didn't want to hear. "Being a good guy is a good trait to have Wren, but... To be honest... yes, you can be too nice at times, Wren."
"Well... I think Kiki's mad at me," Wren said.
"Aww man, what did you do?" Drenig asked.
"He told Grant how to destroy the machine." Just then Kiki crawled through her analyzer to rendezvous with the other two Team Mol-Tres members.
"Wren... why did you do that?" Drenig asked as they started to walk along.
"I... I feel sorry for him," Wren said. "You guys pick on him all the time, and even if he does have his secrets that he hides, I just... don't feel it's right to bully him."
"How many times do I have to tell you, we're trying to fish him out," Kiki mentioned.
"I know, I know, but I still feel we're not doing it right," Wren said.
"Ay, we better venture on and make sure Grant doesn't catch up," Drenig mentioned.
"Yeah, this discussion is starting to get old," Kiki mentioned.
The group couldn't help but look back time after time. ...However, they never saw Grant.
"Meh, well it looks like he's still behind," Drenig mentioned.
"Yeah... for now," Kiki said.
Meanwhile, Grant was still talking to the robots. Right now, the robots were surrounding him.
"Hand over the super-virus," one of the Hypno-bots said.
"I'm sorry, I've been a bad person," Grant said. "Or more specifically I've been a very good person, but now... No, I've been bad, and I wish to become even badder."
"Make up your mind!" the Hypno-bot shouted.
"I must confess... I am jealous of Dagger Eyes," Grant said. "He's a much more potent villain than I am. Grant has always wanted to be as evil as him and... did I just speak in third person? Any way, I want tutolidge from Dagger Eyes himself. I wish to be... Dagger Eye's servant."
The robots paused for a moment. Eventually though, they spoke up.
"Nice try Mol-Tres scum," the Hypno-bot said. "Fork over the super-virus already."
"But I'm serious," Grant said. "I want to join you."
"We said fork over the super-virus!" the Hypno-bot repeated.
"I... I..." Grant stuttered for a moment. "I still wish to join..."
-Confessional Session(Grant)-
"Me!? Join Dagger Eyes!?" Grant shouted. "Ha! He should join ME! I'm just trying to..."
Grant started to get lost in thought for a moment. He remembered how he talked in third person.
"Muffy... did I really dislike her?" Grant asked himself. "And Abigale? They... they... They're TWERPS! Abigale defied me, and Muffy assaulted me. Kiki assaulted me too, and SHE will fear my wrath. Maybe not today, but by tomorrow she will be history for sure. Cause if it's me and her in the final three, and I win an event for immunity, my vote will have ALL the power! Kiki's history, and then I fight Wren or Drenig in the finals, whoever ends up surviving."
-After Confessional-
Over with the other three, they were hearing Medulla's voice again. They weren't out of the woods.
"Ha! You were better off fighting the Hypno-bots!" Medulla shouted.
"Better off?" Wren asked. "I don't like the sound of that."
"You think you're running to freedom?" Medulla asked. "But you're NOT! There are conveyor claws and bots everywhere down there, and YOU will have to deal with them!"
"Pfft, big deal," Kiki blurted.
"Not to mention the BOILER room!" Medulla added.
"...Is it a big deal NOW, Kiki?" Drenig asked.
"You make it through ALL that alive, and you still have to tread through the orb blasters!" Medulla shouted.
"Orb blasters?" Wren asked.
"Why would need those in a potion conveyor belt?" Drenig asked.
"Cause you can never be too sure," Medulla added. "And this would be a perfect time to use them."
"...Oh boy, that sounds joyous," Kiki said. "But this is a show, they can't throw anything dangerous at us. ...Right?"
-Confessional Session(Kiki)-
"Then again... Boiler Room?" Kiki asked the camera. "How could that NOT be dangerous. And what about those orb blasters? What kind of orbs are we talking about? ...Do I really even want to know?"
-After Confessional-
Eventually, the team came across a part of the conveyors where the aforementioned grabbing claws were. Kiki seemed hardly phased by it.
"How dangerous could these be?" Kiki asked.
As Wren got close to one, it snapped right at him. Wren immediately felt sharp fingers poking into his flesh.
"Ow! Really dangerous!" Wren asked.
"That can't be," Kiki said. "...No, you're probably just discomforted. Let me help you."
Kiki ran up to the claw poking at Wren and grabbed a hold of it. With one strong yank, she quickly pulled the claw out of its socket.
"Huh, some cheap technology," Kiki said. "I bet even you could pull this out, Wren."
Drenig was also being poked by one. It didn't bother him as much as Wren, but it was still annoying. Drenig grabbed the claw machine and tugged at it. It came off easily.
"Hey, she's right," Drenig said. "These claws are weak!"
Another claw shot out at Wren. Wren tried pulling them out himself. He was quite successful.
"Ha! Looks like Medulla's all talk," Wren said.
"I bet I could even karate-chop one," Kiki said right before a claw shot out at her. Kiki swiftly chopped the arm, and it broke in two.
"And I don't even know much karate," Kiki said.
"Ay, I can't help but ask," Drenig started. "Is there a difference between Judo and Jujitsu? Or are they the same style?"
"Uhhhh... at the dojo they debate that a lot," Kiki said.
"Uhh, guys, boiler up ahead," Wren pointed out.
They saw a big room with lots of flames coming out the side. This machine looked dangerous.
"What do we do now?" Wren asked.
"I guess it will sap our stamina if we don't go through it fast enough," Kiki mentioned. "We should try to go through it as fast as possible."
"No problem!" Wren proclaimed.
Wren immediately dashed forward into the boiler room. Of course, the second he got in there, he was feeling the burn right away. Kiki and Drenig could hear him crying inside.
"Maybe we should be in there," Kiki said. "We're more heat resistant?"
"Huh? I thought we were only resistant to special heat," Drenig said.
"You know, I'm not sure," Kiki said.
"Meh, I could take some heat," Drenig said. "But I doubt my jacket or my pompadour could."
"Let em burn, it's not like they're useful," Kiki said.
"Well... it's just that... I already told Wren this," Drenig said. Kiki had a gut feeling what Drenig was about to say.
"Do they have sentimental value?" Kiki asked.
"My jacket, my comb, AND my pompadour wig," Drenig started. "They were all given to me when I first became a BigBoss. The people at BigBoss Motors... they're some of the nicest people I've ever worked with. So I've held my belongings dear to me since then."
"I get what you mean," Kiki said. "My fighting Gi and my belt are also important to me. My Gi was given to me when I first enlisted into the dojo. I was young and reckless back then, so I didn't feel like a contender at the time. But then I rose in the ranks until eventually I became a black-belt. My belt is a sign of how far I've come in life."
"Wow," Drenig said. "Now I kind of want to hear the story behind Wren's goggles."
Kiki looked at Drenig and smiled. Drenig looked at Kiki and smiled back. And then... they held hands. It seemed they really did like each other.
"You're a cool guy, you know that?" Kiki asked.
"And you're a cool gal," Drenig mentioned.
...Suddenly, their attention to each other was broken. Wren had made it to the other side of the boiler.
"Guys, I pressed a button and turned the boiler off!" Wren called out before he sprinted off.
"That was pretty admirable of Wren," Kiki mentioned before running off.
"Hey, what would we have done?" Drenig replied as he tried to keep up with Kiki.
-Confessional Session(Drenig)-
"Wren can be a little too nice at times," Drenig stated. "But when he's nice when he needs to be, it's well appreciated."
-After Confessional-
Meanwhile, Grant was still trying to persuade the robots to let him through. He wasn't getting far.
"Okay, how about this?" Grant started. "I swear my allegiance, and I'll even inject the super-virus into the other contestants."
"Negative! Return the vial," the Super Hypno-bot said.
"Please, I will do anything to join you," Grant said. "It's been my dream to be the evilest creature in the land."
"Negative! Don't make us use force!" the Super Hypno-bot said again.
"Come on! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?" Grant begged.
"We said NEGATIVE!" The Super Hypno-bot roared. "If you will not hand the super-virus over, we will be forced to hurt you!"
"Aaaaaaoooooowwwww," Grant cried. "I guess I have no choice then."
Grant looked over to the side and noticed there was a path back the way he came right below where he was. Grant swiftly ran to the edge of his platform and jumped down to the catwalk path below. ...He really didn't think that through.
"Owwwww! That hurt! Mommy, help!" Grant cried.
-Confessional Session(Grant)-
"Now I know why they didn't want us to jump down there," Grant said.
-After Confessional-
"GET HIM!" The Super Hypno-Bot cried. "Exteeeeeerminate! EXTEEEEEERMINATE!"
After Grant's boneheaded move, he had a hard time walking. But he tried his hardest to outrun the robots.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! OW!" Grant whined the entire time. ...In a way, Grant was such a genius, but such an idiot at the same time.
Meanwhile, with the other contestants, they were reaching the orb blaster zone. They still did not know what to expect.
"Well... those cannons don't look very innocuous," Drenig mentioned.
"What I don't get is... what comes out of them," Wren asked.
"Also important is how are we supposed to dodge all of those cannons?" Kiki mentioned.
"Well... someone has to go first," Wren said. "And we better hurry before Grant catches up."
"Huh... Now that I think of it, that dweeb hasn't shown up yet," Drenig mentioned.
"Forget him, I'll go first," Kiki offered.
Kiki stepped forward and suddenly something launched right in front of him. It was a ball of slime. Kiki didn't feel intimidated.
"That's it? Just a bunch of slime?" Kiki mentioned. "Come on guys, this won't take longOOF!"
But slime wasn't the only thing coming out of those cannons. Suddenly, Kiki was slammed in the head by a Voltorb. This angered Kiki.
"Oh boy, Voltorbs!" Kiki shouted.
"Hmmm... Something tells me this will come in handy," Drenig said before picking the Voltorb up. "We should each carry one, we won't know when we might need it."
"I don't know about you, but my hands are staying off," Kiki mentioned.
"Hey, isn't that breaking the rules to use your typing to your advantage?" Wren asked.
"I... am technically not doing so, I'm just holding a Voltorb," Drenig mentioned. "And technically it isn't. You can't use your extra natural weapons like your tail and your long jaw, or special powers. Typing however is allowed."
"Oh, okay," Wren said. "Well... Ready or not, here I come."
Wren started thumping his foot again, usually a sign he was about to sprint his heart out. Wren sped through the orb launchers. The Voltorbs and sludge bombs all missing him as he zoomed past. Eventually, Wren was past the blasters. Kiki and Drenig have seen Wren race before, but it never ceased to amaze them.
-Confessional Session(Wren)-
"Part of being able to sprint so fast comes from my "you-know-whats," Wren said while pointing downward to the side, most likely to his foot. Wren was... still uneasy about discussion involving his back paws. ...Trust me, you go onto art sites a lot, you may know why. "The length gives me more leverage, which pushes me farther in a single stride. As a result it allows for me to run pretty fast. ...My gym teacher explained that to my classmates a lot."
-After Confessional-
"Alright, we better go on now," Kiki said to Drenig as she was running by.
Drenig followed Kiki through the orb blasters. Kiki was constantly getting hit and every time she would swat the air around her with her claws. Drenig was getting hit bad too, but he seemed to be powering through it well enough. Both were determined to get through the orbs. Then again, neither cared much if Wren won the event.
"We're in no danger of dying," Drenig mentioned. "But do the Voltorbs still hurt?"
"You think?" Kiki asked. "I'm not the one who's resistant to all the types being thrown out, silly."
"But it still hurts, getting clonked in the head with a Voltorb," Drenig mentioned.
Eventually though, the two were able to make it past the orb blasters. That's where they saw Wren climbing up a ladder. He must have found the way back to Quarantine.
"Hey Wren, wait for us!" Drenig called out.
Kiki and Drenig ran to the ladder after Wren had finished climbing up. Kiki was hot on Wren's trail, and Drenig wasn't letting up either.
Meanwhile, Grant stumbled about the halls trying to outrun the Super Hypno-bots. Grant was still struggling with his injured legs.
"Oww, not one of my prouder moments," Grant whined.
Eventually, he went into the same room where he got the Super-Virus from. Afterwards, he shut the door inside. He then found some objects to close the door with.
"Okay, okay, I'm putting it back!" Grant called out.
"We wish to make sure!" a Hypno-Bot called out.
Grant probably couldn't hold for much longer. Fortunately he didn't have to. Medulla had made an announcement just then.
"Stupid robots!" Medulla called out. The other contestants are coming! Go and find them down the hall! ...But two of you stay there, someone needs to take care of that Grumpig brat!"
"Exteeeeeerminate!" the Super Hypno-bots shouted as most of them ran out of the doorway.
Grant knew he couldn't take on a whole bunch, but maybe he could take on two. Grant pulled the objects away from the door to allow the Hypno-bots to come in.
"Argh! Why can't we talk things over?" Grant asked. "I mean, isn't a shifty henchman better than a dead one?"
"You are no henchman," one of the two Super Hypno-bots said as they tried to chase Grant in the room.
"Fine, take me!" Grant yelled. It was then that Grant put another evil smile on. "If you can!"
The Hypno bots went through the stands where the viruses were being heald to go straight to Grant. Grant waited for them to both get close and then lept out of the way. The Super Hypno-bots clonked heads together and fell down. They didn't break, but they gave Grant enough time to escape before the bots even knew what to do.
Meanwhile, the other three were running down the hall. They were trying to make their way to the secret entrance. When suddenly, they came across the Super Hypno-bots again.
"Great, just great," Kiki said. "It looks like we're not going to just bust through them to get to the door."
"We have to try something," Wren said. "Bertram wouldn't make these challenges impossible."
"As much as I love to fight, I don't think that's going to work," Kiki mentioned.
"Ay, if that won't work, maybe a bomb will," Drenig said.
"Huh? Oh right, the Voltorb," Wren shouted.
"Parabola shot!" Drenig shouted as he threw the Voltorb at the Super Hypno-bots.
Drenig's Voltorb made impact with a Super Hypno-Bot's head. Suddenly, the Voltorb gave off a lot of discharge. The Discharge disrupted the Hypno-bot's circuits and one by one they fell down. It looked like they weren't indestructible, and that Voltorb proved it.
"Good job," Wren complimented. "Now we just have to..."
"No no NO!" Suddenly, someone shot out down the hall on his floating platform. Medulla seemed really frustrated. "Stop! Please! Return the vials! I'm begging you pleeeease!"
"Dang, what's wrong man?" Drenig asked.
"Is this what defeat causes Pokemon to do?" Kiki asked.
"You don't understand," Medulla started. "You don't know what it's like working for Dagger Eyes! This was my last chance to prove to him I could finish him off! If I don't fulfill that task, he's going to kill me!"
"Yeah yeah yeah, whatever," Kiki said as she ran off. Really, she didn't even care about the cowards ramble.
"Wait! You don't see why I'm angry?" Medulla shouted.
"Of course she does," Wren said. "But just cause you're angry doesn't mean your likeable."
"No! I refuse to have it end like this! Death laser!" Medulla shouted.
Medulla eventually pressed a button on his platform. Apparently it was supposed to fire a laser, but instead Medulla's platform started to float erratically, making unpleasant noises that suggested it was malfunctioning. Suddenly the machine crashed to the ground and broke.
"No! ...I can't do this anymore! I quit," Medulla wined. "I only agreed to help Dagger Eyes because I thought for sure we would win in the end."
"But you didn't, did you?" Wren asked.
"Villains always act happy when they think they're going to win," Drenig said. "But they break down into a cowardly mess when they lose."
"I don't want to deal with Dagger Eyes anymore," Medulla cried. "I just wanna go home now. I need an ice pack."
"Should... should we help him up?" Wren asked.
"I don't know Wren... What do you think?" Drenig looked down at Wren, wondering if he would do the right thing.
"I... I don't know," Wren said. "I've tried sticking up for Grant. But this guy? ...I'd say he's on his own. After all he's done, it doesn't feel right to save him. ...But then again, has he really killed anyone?"
"Wren, don't over think it," Drenig said.
"You're right, let's go Drenig," Wren said as he moved on. Drenig followed him in suit.
"No! Where are you going?" Medulla whined. "Don't leave me down here! I'm just going to follow you anyway!"
Just then, Medulla started to panic. It seemed like he was being told something through telepathy.
"No master! Please! It's not my fault!" Medulla cried.
More silence ensued before Medulla started to sweat. He knew what was going on: Dagger Eyes was infuriated. Dagger Eyes was talking to him, and he wasn't saying what Medulla wanted to hear.
"No master! I beg of you!" Medulla cried once more.
Eventually, all the contestants had made it through the secret entrance back to Quarantine. This left only Medulla down below. ...And the remaining two Super Hypno-bots. And as bad luck would have it: the Hypno-bots were coming right towards Medulla.
"No! I am you master! Do not attack me!" Medulla cried. "I'm warning you! Leave me alone! NOOO!"
The screen cut to black before anything could be shown. Don't feel too bad for Medulla. Remember: he's just an actor.
-The Hard Descission-
Kiki was running up the stairs to Quarantine. She was eager to hand in her super virus. Eventually, she bust through the door and the first thing she saw was Bertram, right inside the kitchen.
"Okay Bertram," Kiki started. "I have got your super virus, so does that WHAT THE!"
But as she looked around more, she noticed something shocking. Betty was there too. And at the current moment, she was treating a certain pig who beat Kiki there.
"Ha ha," Grant taunted. "I told you I'd find a way to win."
"Okay Grumpig," Betty said. "Your legs should be all healed by now."
Betty started to walk away from Grant. But Grant decided to call her back.
"I believe a certain evil genius would be much appreciative if his loyal subject were to provide him an adequate offering," Grant said.
"My bad," Betty said before turning back around. "Here's your lollipop, little guy."
Betty handed Grant the lollipop, which Grant took happily. He then started to lick the lollipop right in front of Lilly, hoping to tick her off.
Kiki was almost ready to break the super virus with her claws. Fortunately, Bertram pulled the vial away from Kiki before she could.
"That would not be recommended," Bertram said. "We will need all the potion samples we can get."
Eventually, Wren and Drenig caught up to the top. That's where they saw Grant was already there, and Kiki was steaming. Drenig felt bad too.
"Awww man, he beat us here?" Drenig asked. "But how?"
"Let's say I didn't go the same way," Grant chuckled.
Wren started to feel really scared. He didn't like his chances now.
-Confessional Session(Wren)-
"Oh no, since Grant has immunity, I'm on the chopping block," Wren said. "I don't mind losing, but I'd rather lose to a friend than an enemy. And I still don't know who's on my side right now."
-After Confessional-
Later that day, Grant was laying under the tree next to the bathroom. He was watching Drenig and Kiki talk about supper.
"Say, Kiki," Drenig said. "You... want to make sushi together?"
"I hope you mean that literally," Kiki said.
"Huh? Does it have any other meaning?" Drenig asked.
"Just making sure," Kiki said. "But I thought you were a vegetarian."
"No, I'm a pescitarian, I still eat fish," Drenig mentioned.
"Oh, right," Kiki said. "Well... I suppose we'll need something wholesome. Tonight I'm probably going to do something I don't want to do."
"...You mean vote Wren off?" Drenig asked.
"I'm afraid so," Kiki said. "I mean he's probably the nicest person I know, but he's also a bit gullible."
"And since Grant has immunity, we don't have a choice," Drenig stated. "Unless of course we vote for each other."
"I just... I just feel bad that I'd have to do that," Kiki complained. "He's such a nice kid, but... I can't vote for Grant, and I'm not voting for you. ...I hope he realizes we mean nothing personal."
Grant shook his head. He wanted to keep Wren in the contest, since he was the only person left of value to him. Grant decided to go inside the bathroom behind him where, what do you know, Wren was inside there, sitting on a bench.
"I don't know what to do," Wren said.
"What's wrong, friend?" Grant asked.
"I just... don't know what to do," Wren said. "I don't know who to vote for, only that they're probably going to vote for me. And I really don't want to vote for anyone right at this very point."
"Well, you could always vote for Kiki," Grant suggested. "That's who I'm voting for. She needs to go because she keeps bullying me."
"But I still don't know," Wren said. "Why would she lie about you?"
"Cause she doesn't know the truth," Grant said. "She wants me gone, so she makes up stories."
"But people don't usually lie that way," Wren said.
"She's an odd case," Grant said. "And besides that it's not like you have much of a choice besides voting for who I'm voting for."
"Well... I know I don't have a choice, but..." Wren asked.
"Listen, I'm only trying to help friend," Grant said. "You have no other choice."
"Even if we tie, what will happen then?" Wren asked.
"We can only hope for the best," Grant comforted. Grant tried to seem happy to make Wren feel happy. "I believe in you Wren."
Wren couldn't help but smile inside. He almost felt reassured. And yet, he still had a feeling Grant was lying to him. But it was the only shot he had, so he had to go for it.
That evening at the Quarantine Ceremony, everyone gathered on the usual benches. The difference today was that Bertram wasn't handing out milk.
"Okay, tonight's voting was... different," Bertram said. "Shall we begin?"
"Yes, we shall," Grant said politely.
"Very well, we shall," Bertram said. "Grant, you and Drenig are both safe."
"Wait a minute, I get what's going on," Drenig said. "You didn't hand the milk out because a loser hasn't been decided yet. The votes are tied."
Bertram slammed his cane angrily into the ground. Suddenly, he shot a long stream of ice right at Drenig's face. Drenig wasn't happy.
"Ow, man! Watch the hair!" Drenig cried out.
"Then do not backseat host," Bertram growled. "Just because there's no rule against it doesn't make it polite!"
"But he's right, isn't he?" Kiki asked.
"Yes, he rather is right," Bertram said. "There's no milk today because the votes are tied. Which means we must decide it... through Rochambeau!"
"...But I don't have any fingers," Wren reminded.
"Alright then, hmmm..." Bertram thought for a moment how to settle the tie. "I want to do something you can both do equally well... Naughts and Crosses?"
"Derivative!" Kiki blurted out.
"Oh... Hide and seek?" Bertram asked.
"Immature," Wren said.
"Then... Jousting!" Bertram blurted out.
"...Being a quadruped puts Wren at a disadvantage," Kiki stated.
"Well I wasn't planning on a tie," Bertram said. "I don't know what else to do."
"Well if Grant didn't have immunity, we might not have that problem," Kiki mentioned.
"Well that's tough, so we'll have to do something else," Bertram said. "I know what we COULD do. We could re-vote."
"...Are you serious?" Wren asked.
"Well... that's all I got," Bertram said.
"Why not go by who got more votes in the past," Grant said. "That's what another reality show used to do."
"Yeah, and I can see why they abolished it," Bertram blurted. "Besides, neither of them have ANY votes."
Suddenly, Kiki and Wren looked at each other. They both felt sad for each other.
"I'm sorry Wren," Kiki said. "Nothing personal, I just... had no one else to vote for."
"I voted on the same terms," Wren said. "Don't feel too bad."
"I... I'm sorry. I really don't want to send someone as nice as you home," Kiki said. "But I'm kind of in it to win it. I hope you can forgive me and Drenig for voting for you."
Wren felt a bit sad. He realized that neither Kiki nor Drenig wanted to vote for Wren. They only did cause they couldn't vote for Grant, and wanted to vote for each other even less than Wren. Maybe they WERE really good people. But Grant? He was shifty. Suddenly it hit Wren.
"I know what I must do," Wren said. "What I'm going to do will take some courage though, but there's no way out of it."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Kiki asked.
"I mean... I believe you," Wren said. "I believe you, and I believe Drenig. The only I don't believe is Grant."
"What!?" Grant cried.
"Kiki has no reason to lie to me, but you have given many reasons to lie," Wren said. "Kiki said she didn't see Aria in that room: why would she lie about someone who she barely even knew?"
"Well maybe..." Grant stuttered.
"And what you said to Jet," Wren started. "Jet admitted the things you said. Even YOU admitted to it."
"I was just..." Grant stuttered. Grant was starting to sweat.
"And the Furries in your dreams!" Wren cried. "Them and the Kraken are connected to Aria and other past contestants that YOU got eliminated!"
"Wren, stop! You're scaring me!" Grant whined.
"Good!" Wren said. "Up until now, I've not had the courage to spill my complaints with you, not I'm done hiding! If I'm going home, I might as well do it with honor, and by showing respect to those who deserve it."
"Wren... that's the bravest thing I've ever heard you say," Drenig said.
"No! Everyone is against me!" Grant shouted. "I thought YOU would have had some heart, but you're just as ruthless as they are!"
"No he's not," Kiki said. "Besides, he made a good point: Why would I care if Aria got eliminated if she got eliminated fairly? I didn't even like her that much, but I still didn't find it fair for her to be eliminated unjustly. ...Well that and I was kind of warming up to her after she swore to better herself. Honestly, she was doing an okay job at it. Wren... You're awesome Wren."
"Enough!" Grant cried. "Bertram! I change my vote!"
"Then it is decided," Bertram stated. "Wren, I hate to do this, but you have been eliminated."
"Sorry, Wren," Kiki stated. "I would have loved to have gone to the final three with you and Drenig."
"It's alright, Kiki," Wren said before he walked over to the Quarantine chamber. "I just hope now you guys don't think I'm too nice."
"Wren, the truth is... You can never be too nice where it counts," Drenig said. "Goodbye Wren."
"Goodbye Kiki! Goodbye Drenig!" Wren called out after he entered the chamber and stood up to the glass window of the door.
After Bertram closed the door, Bertram started the gas. Eventually, Quarantine's favorite good-guy was enveloped in smoke... and disappeared.
"Adieu, adieu. Parting is such sweet sorrow," Bertram said before shedding a tear. Even he was sad to see Wren go.
Eventually, the others left and went back to the Mol-Tres bunkers. Time for Bertram to close the show.
"This show is almost over. Tomorrow is when we decide the final two for the final episode. I hope you'll join us through for two more episodes. I am Bertram, you're extravagant host, and I wish you all good luck. Until next time, we say goodbye for now."
-Next Time On Quarantine-
"When it's just you and me in the final two, what do you think will happen then?"
The final three must fight it out in three final events.
"We will end the challenges where we began: Strength, Smarts, and Speed."
With only two spots for the final episode, the contestants will be at each other's throats trying to get there.
"Grant has no-where to run, now!"
But without Dagger Eyes, will Bertram's challenges be the hardest yet.
"I am NOT going to let that poser win Quarantine!"
And will there be the biggest meltdown ever in Quarantine?
"I can't TAKE IT ANYMORE!"
All this and more on the next episode of Quarantine: Strive to Survive.