Hey everyone, sorry for taking awhile with this. I was expecting to get the next episode of Metamorphia done soon after finishing the first episode of this but as usual, Metamorphia's giving me a hard time. So I decided to just work on this and get it out there since it's been a little over a month. Enjoy!
EPISODE 2: THERE'S NO PLATE LIKE HOME
On the evening of the last episode, Celia was aboard the yacht with a bucket full of soapy water and a large yellow sponge. She was crouched down by her graffiti, scrubbing it away bit by bit and not looking all too pleased. There was definitely a bit of hatred brewing inside Celia as Zack oversaw her do her work. He kept a close eye, making sure everything was completely scrubbed clean. At this point, Celia just wanted to get to bed but Zack had told her that she could not leave until she was done. He leaned up against the railing of the yacht with his arms crossed. "Maybe next time you'll know not to do something stupid like this again," he said.
"Maybe next time you should shut up," Celia mumbled under her breath while rolling her eyes.
Zack stood there in silence as the scrubbing continued before he spoke up again. "What made you decide to do this anyway?" he asked.
Celia dumped her sponge in the bucket to soak it up some more, not even bothering to look at Zack. "Because I could," she answered bluntly as she washed away some more.
"So do you usually just do things with no regard for the consequences?" Zack asked, raising an eyebrow as he saw a seagull fly closely from the corner of his eye.
Celia groaned slightly and squeezed the sponge tighter. "Why are you asking me all these damn questions?" she demanded.
Zack leaned forward and squinted his eyes right at what was left of the graffiti, sucking in his cheek before stepping forward. "You're not someone that takes punishment all too well, I see," he remarked with a smirk.
"Fuck you," Celia grumbled.
Zack just rolled his eyes and pointed at something with his foot. "Missed a spot," he said bluntly. Celia groaned again, a little more loudly this time. She didn't say anything to him for the rest of the time she was scrubbing.
/
Neda was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth quietly to herself when she could overhear some arguing from right outside the bathroom door. She paused her brushing and stared in that direction, before rolling her eyes and spitting into the sink.
Begin Confessional
"It hadn't even been one whole day but Jaz and Kyla were already arguing more than ever," Neda said as she sat back in the confessional chair casually. "It can be kinda distracting but at the same time, it diverts all attention away from me so I guess I don't mind if they keep it up for now."
End Confessional
"Ugh, your maid outfit is absolutely hideous!" were the first words Neda heard from Kyla as she stepped out of the bathroom. Jaz and Kyla, as overheard from before, bickered and bickered on about the pettiest things.
Jaz got up into Kyla's face, darting her eyes furiously. "Only hideous thing I see is your stupid french accent," she countered.
"Dumbass, you can't see accents," Kyla rebutalled, her face growing red.
Jaz crossed her arms and leaned closer. "Oh yeah, well I can see that you're the real dumbass, so take that bitch," she growled, which caused Kyla to gasp in shock.
Meanwhile, Neda just watched with the least disinterested look imaginable before being called over by Vela, who sat with Rae on her bunk. "Just enjoy the show," Vela quipped as Neda took a seat next to them.
"Well you listen here, you idiot," Kyla insulted, pointing a shaky finger at Jaz. "You insult me one more time and I will give your stupid cosplaying show the worst possible review I can give."
Jaz smirked and wiggled her fingers mockingly. "Oooo, I'm so scared now," she jabbed sarcastically. Kyla scoffed and stormed to her bunk, while Jaz just stuck her tongue out at her behind her back.
"Aww, I wanted you two to start trading blows," Vela whined playfully as she peeked over to see Kyla sitting on her bed, hugging herself and fuming with anger.
Jaz just glanced over towards her and shook her head. "I'm gonna get some fresh air," she announced, before taking a set of earbuds with her i-Pod and departing from the cabin.
Rae sighed shortly after, staring off at some small cracks on the hardwood floor. "I think I just want to get some sleep," she confessed before yawning.
Vela yawned too and nodded her head. "Alright, bub," she said, her and Neda both getting up from Rae's bunk. "It's like eight or something, right?"
"Well, we do have to get up early in the morning," Neda reminded as she straightened out some small wrinkles on her shirt. "And I'm just super excited for our first actual challenge."
As Neda went to her bunk, she stopped and observed Kyla for a bit. She was still sitting on her bunk, still hugging herself although she wasn't as angry now. "Are you going to be okay?" Neda asked her sweetly.
Kyla sighed and nodded her head. "Oui oui, don't worry," she responded. "Sorry for making a big scene. Jaz is just so infuriating."
"Yeah, she doesn't seem to be the most pleasant person out there," Neda agreed as she climbed up to her bunk. She poked her head down and smiled. "You seem nice, however."
Kyla raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she replied. "But I've messed up a lot today."
"I don't know, I guess you're just stressed," Neda suggested as she took a stuffed rabbit and handed it down to Kyla. "Here, sleep with this. She's friendly."
Kyla took the stuffed animal and stared at it for a bit. "Thanks…?" she said awkwardy.
"I know that when I'm stressed, I like to light up a nice warm scented candle," Vela explained as she took a brown candle and lit it up with her lighter, placing it on Kyla's dresser after. "Cinnamon."
Kyla nodded and took a deep breath. "I appreciate your patience with me," she said. "I do try to be nice as much as possible but I guess yeah, I am a little stressed."
"Well, you are in a country different from your own," Vela replied, leaning up against the dresser. "Just try to relax and you'll be alright, okay?"
"Okay," Kyla replied quietly.
/
Outside in the dark, Aditi wandered around the woods by herself. She looked around the vast dense forest that was filled with chirping crickets and the dim light from the full moon above. She had a tent bag with her, possibly so she could camp out for the night. She placed it down by a tree and decided to climb up it. To her surprise, someone else was already atop the tree. "Oh, I didn't think I'd find you here," Aditi said with a bit of surprise.
The someone she encountered was Miriam, who was attempting to sleep amongst the tree branches. She opened one of her eyes to see Aditi staring at her. "Nyeh, what is it?" she mumbled. "I'm trying to get a bit of shut eye here."
"My apologies," Aditi said, clinging onto a separate branch. "I just wanted to climb a tree to see the island from a higher perspective."
Miriam lifted her head up a little to look at the island below. "It is quite the view," she replied.
"Aren't you afraid you might fall?" Aditi asked with a bit of concern.
Miriam shrugged and adjusted herself a bit. "I've done this many times," she explained. "I won't fall."
"Well, if you say so," Aditi replied, staring down at the ground below. "I suppose I'll leave you alone now."
After she climbed back down, Miriam positioned herself comfortably and rested her head on her hands. She could see Aditi walking away and smiled. "Nyeh, she's a cute one, isn't she?" she mumbled to herself before dozing back to sleep.
/
Sunrise would soon hit the island. John was up and ready to start the day. He grabbed his keys, his megaphone and an air horn before heading over towards the cabins. About ten feet away from the front porches was a mound of dirt that was perfect for him to stand comfortably on. He held up his air horn and as soon as the time hit eight o'clock, he blasted the horn as loudly as he could. Many of the campers inside were actually still asleep and so they were startled by this rude awakening. John then placed the megaphone close to his mouth. "Good morning, campers!" he shouted. "It's eight o'clock on a Tuesday. Will all of you please head out of your cabins at this time."
One of the first ones to come out was Bo, who was actually one of the few campers that was up prior to the wake-up call. He had on his Deer logo shirt, which made John pleased. "Morning Nashville," Bo greeted as he stepped off the porch to go meet the host. "What are we doing today?"
"Oh, you'll find out soon," John explained. "I have some things to say to everyone first."
"Sounds cool to me," Bo said with a shrug.
"Yeah, just wait over there until everyone gets up," John ordered as he could see a few more campers exit the cabins.
One he didn't see was Miriam as she came from the woods. "Nyeh, what's with the sudden loud noises?" she asked. "Are you trying to ruin my sense of hearing or something?"
John stared at her, a little bit in disbelief. "So you did actually sleep in the tree," he remarked.
"Of course," Miriam affirmed while rolling her eyes.
John shook his head disapprovingly. "I feel sorry for your back in a few years," he quipped.
Soon, all of the campers were gathered together in front of John, which prompted him to speak to them all. "Hopefully as the days go by, you'll be quicker in getting out here," he said as he held his hands behind his back. "But now that you guys are, first off, I hope you slept well. Secondly, breakfast is ready for you at the cafeteria. After you eat, I'll explain what your challenge will be. Any guesses?"
"Ummm, jump roping?" Sienna suggested.
John shook his head. "Not that," he denied before stepping aside. "Alright, go get your food. Michelle really went all out for your first breakfast. I think you're gonna love it."
/
At the cafeteria, there was a set of two serving tables pushed together. On them was an assortment of various breakfast foods, such as freshly sizzled steak and eggs, warm fluffy pancakes, flavorful vegetable omelets and perfectly toasted bagels with smooth cream cheese. There was also a cereal serving station with a wide variety of brands as well as some whole milk to pour with. Michelle stood by the tables with a welcoming smile on her face as she saw all of the campers make their way inside. "Good morning, kids," she greeted. "There's plenty of food, so eat as much as you want."
Each camper got their trays and filled them up with whatever their hearts desired. They would then all sit with their teams, eating together while discussing a multitude of things. Tyson chatted with Felix, talking about a wild dream he had while Felix smirked as it kept getting crazier with each second. Kai listened to them quietly before being nudged in the arm by someone. He turned to see Yana smiling at him.
"Good morning," she greeted. "How'd you sleep?"
"Very well, thank you," he replied, adjusting himself to more comfortably face her. "And you, madam?"
"It was rough for a bit," she explained, glancing over towards Celia. "Mainly because of her."
"What do you mean?" he asked as he stirred his cereal around slowly with his spoon.
"She just wouldn't stop complaining about Zack and stuff," she stated, rolling her eyes a little with a small sigh. "Like I get it, you don't like being told what to do. But maybe next time don't be so reckless, you know?"
Kai rubbed his forehead and then looked at his bowl of cereal. "In a way, I can relate to that," he confessed. "I mean, I wish I could just easily defy those that try to control me."
Yana scooped up some of her omelet and stared at it before taking a bite. "Well, I just think Celia's being too immature," she countered, swallowing her food afterwards. "She needs to grow up and take more responsibility for her actions."
"I suppose," he replied with a shrug.
"Hey, if you're gonna be talking smack about me behind my back," said Celia, tapping her fingers on the table. "Make sure you do it so I can't hear you, sweetheart."
Yana's cheeks flushed as she chuckled awkwardly. "Oops… Sorry…" she apologized.
"Growing up is for squares anyway," Celia added, forming a smirk on her face. "Being immature is way more fun."
Yana awkwardly looked down at her tray. "You and my brother would get along quite well then," she said. There was a bit of an awkward silence until Yana noticed Edgar staring at her. She waved timidly upon seeing this. "Uhhh… hi."
Edgar looked away, not saying a word. That's when Sienna took a seat next to Yana, her tray filled with all kinds of food. "When I joined, I was so worried the food would be like Chef Hatchet's," she admitted.
Yana smiled and nodded. "Well, I've seen a bit of the first season," she explained. "And the food didn't seem that bad. In fact, I would say the food is even better now."
"And I'm all here for it," Sienna giggled as she stuffed a piece of her pancakes into her mouth.
Once again, Yana caught Edgar staring at her and this time she frowned. "Please don't stare at me like that," she demanded. "It's honestly kinda creepy."
Edgar frowned and hid his face a little with his tray. "Sorry…" he mumbled. Yana just squinted her eyes at him suspiciously.
Begin Confessional
Edgar sighed and stared at the camera emptily. "I wasn't trying to creep her out but whatever," he confessed. "I really don't like it here. The people here can be so draining. Especially that Felix guy. He's been trying to start conversations with me more than I would like."
End Confessional
Felix was still listening to Tyson's weird dream conversation, occasionally replying with "whoa" or "that's crazy". He seemed less and less interested with it as time went on but Tyson was rather oblivious.
Begin Confessional
Felix shook his head. "Tyson can be a bit much," he said. "That guy just doesn't know when to shut up sometimes. I've tried talking to Edgar a few times too but he isn't giving me much."
He leaned back in his chair and smirked. "It's only making him more intriguing to me," he added.
End Confessional
Clifford sat next to Bo at the Deer table, cutting up his pancake with a fork and knife. "How was night one of the summer camp life?" he asked.
Bo shrugged as he held onto an apple. "It was a night," he answered, taking a small bite.
"Did you notice how loud Gerald was snoring?" Clifford asked, pointing his fork at the hacker.
"Nah," Bo denied with a smirk. "I was out pretty quick. Was he really that bad?"
"Well, I would say so," Clifford replied, adjusting his glasses. "Preston was this close to abruptly waking him up too. It was like a bear with asthma."
Bo chuckled and looked over towards Preston. "Next time you catch him snoring that loud, don't be afraid to smack him upside of the head," he joked.
"I'll keep that in mind," Preston replied before picking up his empty tray and heading back to the serving station.
Bo then looked over towards Vela and nodded. "And how did you ladies sleep?" he asked.
"Had to deal with these two fighting for a bit but besides that, I slept alright," Vela shared, jutting a thumb towards Kyla and Jaz, who for some reason were sitting next to each other.
"I kept waking up in the middle of the night," Rae confessed, poking at her omelet with her fork. "Just couldn't help but be a little restless."
Begin Confessional
Rae slumped over in the chair, resting her elbows on the armrests. "I tried to relax myself as much as I could," she explained. "But I figured I'd struggle with adjusting to this environment for the first few couple of days. I think I just need some time alone soon. Haven't really had that ever since I arrived here."
End Confessional
Preston was by the serving table when he saw Michelle cleaning up some empty food containers. He stared at her for a bit before clearing his throat to get her attention. Once she noticed him, he spoke. "Uh, thanks for the breakfast," he said. "It was really good."
"Thanks honey," Michelle replied, smiling brightly at him. "Glad you liked it."
"Yeah, um, I really like how you did the steak," he explained. "Not too rare, but still rare enough for it to be quite juicy."
Michelle rested a hand on her hip. "I don't typically cook steak but I'm glad I did well enough for your approval," she said with a wink.
Preston awkwardly stood around before nodding his head. "Alright then," he said as he took a bagel and shuffled his way back to his table.
Meanwhile, John would enter the cafeteria, holding a water canister and swinging it gently. He stood by the Ducks table to check up on them. "Everything good?" he asked.
"Totally dude," Tyson assured with a big smile.
John gestured towards his teeth. "You got some leftover steak trapped in there," he pointed out. Tyson immediately picked at his teeth and looked a tad embarrassed. John chuckled and headed over towards the Deer table, stopping by Jaz this time. "Geez, you're still wearing that maid outfit?"
"Duh! I'm still promoting my show here, come on now," Jaz replied with a bit of disgust.
"Alright, no need for the attitude," John responded, rolling his eyes as he walked away.
Shortly after, Gerald crossed his arms and sneered at her. "You probably slept in that stupid outfit, didn't you?" he mocked.
Jaz gave him a look. "Of course not," she denied before smirking deviously. "I sleep in my panties."
"Ew," Gerald gagged. Jaz simply rolled her eyes and flipped him off in response.
Begin Confessional
"Gerald can't seriously be disgusted by the thought of me sleeping in my panties," Jaz pouted. "I mean, I'm freaking hot! Every boy wants to see me in them. Some even out of them…" She giggled to herself.
End Confessional
Breakfast time was soon wrapping up, which meant that every camper would meet up with John at the Main Hall. They all sat around on the lounge chairs, although some had to sit on bean bags that John had placed. Speaking of which, the host stood by a wooden podium, keeping a close eye on every camper before beginning. "Today you'll be doing your first team based challenge," he explained. "Something we set up just outside from the Main Hall. But before we get to that, there is one last thing that I have to do."
John stepped away from the podium to take a clipboard that was lying on a small table next to it. "A thing from last season that we haven't talked about yet is the team Captains," he said. "This season, a Captain will still be assigned to each team, but their role will be utilized in a different way. However, I won't discuss much about that yet. Instead, I'll simply inform you all on who'll be your team Captain. Let's start, shall we?"
John headed over towards the right side, where the Ducks all sat together. He handed them each an index card with a number written on it. Afterwards, he then handed cards to everyone on the Deer as well. He went back to the podium and then pulled out a nine-sided dice. "Whatever I end up rolling will decide everything," he explained. "If you have the number that I rolled, you're your team's captain, got it?"
The dice was then rolled as everyone anticipated on who would be selected. John saw the result and smiled. "Our lucky number is… nine!" he announced.
"YES!" Tyson shouted, pumping his fist in the air. "I'm the Captain, baby!"
John looked over towards the Deer. "And what about you guys?" he asked.
Clifford held his hand up. "Guess that would be me," he answered with a nonchalant look to his face.
"Great, Tyson and Clifford are our captains," John said before pointing towards the Main Hall exit. "Let's go meet up with Samson and see what he has planned for y'all."
/
Outside of the Main Hall, Samson could be seen drawing a long line with chalk across the sandy grounds of the beach's northern end. He drew them to connect with four white rubber mats before wiping his hands and beckoning over everyone with a wave. "Welcome everybody to your first challenge," he said, before stepping back and pulling out a white ball with red seams. "Baseball!"
"Woo!" Tyson cheered, holding up his hand for a high-five to which no one followed him up on.
"You'll be playing a short game of three innings," Samson explained. "To move to the next inning, you must get three outs against the other team. Outs can be given by either pitching three strikes against one batter, tagging a player not safe on a base or catching a fly ball. I'm sure many of you know how baseball works, so I won't explain much further. The winning team of this game wins the whole challenge."
John walked up to one of the rubber mats. "This is home plate," he explained before pointing off at the lake. "Which means the water lines the edge of the field. If your ball makes the big splash then that's a home run. Since we have nine people on each team, we'll have every defensive position filled in as well as being able to guarantee that everyone will bat at least once."
"In the event of a tie by the end of the third inning," Samson continued as a few staff members handed him some baseball equipment. "We will go to extra innings until a winner is determined."
"So with that all being said by my friend and I," John added, stepping forward "Let's begin by having your Captains decide what positions you'll play and what your batting order will be. Discuss!"
Tyson huddled up his team immediately. "Alright, since I'm the most athletic one here, I can be the pitcher," he suggested. "We need someone tall to be our first baseman… Kai, you're pretty tall, care to do the honors?"
"I'll try, although I never played baseball before," Kai explained with a modest shrug.
"It's real simple, dude," Tyson assured. "You'll get the hang of it. Just keep an eye out for any flying line drives coming your way."
"Hey, can I be the catcher," Celia asked. "I wanna be right by the other team when they bat so I can talk so much trash."
Tyson chuckled a little and nodded. "Sure," he agreed. "Now, we need someone quick on their feet to be the shortstop. Someone with great reaction time as well."
"Nyeh, I guess I could do it," Miriam volunteered.
"Sweet!" Tyson cheered, sharing smiles with his whole team. "Man, things are working out so well."
Meanwhile, Clifford stood with his team and decided on which player should do what. He suggested to Bo that he could be the pitcher, to which he accepted. Then he asked Gerald what he wanted to do. "I'll be the star center fielder," the hacker offered. "No stupid baseballs will escape me."
"Great," Clifford replied dryly before pointing at Neda. "What about you?"
"Uhhh, is there a position where I don't have to catch much?" she asked.
"Left fielder it is then," Clifford stated with a smirk. "Vela, you can be our shortstop. I feel like you'd be good at such."
"That's fine with me," she agreed before nudging Rae in the arm. "Wanna buddy up and be my fellow third baseman?"
"I guess," she answered with an indifferent shrug. "Just hope I don't get accidentally hit again. Baseballs hurt a lot more than footballs, I can tell you that at least."
After the Captain's had gone through deciding positions, John then flipped a coin to determine which team would bat first. Tyson called heads and won the coin toss, allowing him to choose. He chose to bat second, thus making his team the "home" team. And with that decided, the game of baseball had begun.
The Ducks headed out to the field to get in position. The infield had Tyson at the mound, Celia at home, Kai at first, Aditi at second, Sienna at third and Miriam pulling shortstop duty just as planned. Out in left field was Edgar and next to him in center was Yana. Finally, the right field was covered by Felix.
Samson worked as the home plate umpire with John and Zack as the first and third base umpires respectively. Michelle would be in charge of second base and with that settled, it was time for the White-Tailed Deer to send in their first batter.
Up first in the Deer's batting order was Bo. He stepped up to the plate with his bat and tapped it on the ground before hoisting it up to prepare for his swing. Tyson stood at the mound, watching Celia signal her call to him (yes, they actually decided on signals) and took the first pitch. A fastball straight down the middle. Bo took a swing and knocked it into foul territory.
"Nice swing, chump," Celia mocked. Bo ignored her which made the girl frown but she quickly got prepared for the next pitch. This one was a slider that made its way out of the strike zone. The count was one and one.
Tyson reeled back for another pitch, sending a fastball straight down the middle. Bo would respond with a hit down to the right. The ball was coming straight for Kai. Tyson saw this and cheered him on. "You got it, dude," he encouraged. "Just pick it up and touch first base."
Kai saw the ball rolling towards him and then saw Bo charging down the base path. He seemed frozen, like he had no idea what to do. Unfortunately, this would mean Bo would make it to first base safely and the Ducks grew disappointed with the royal's lack of effort. Tyson would be the one to pick up the ball and stop the play. He rubbed the back of his neck after. "You'll get it next time, dude," he assured.
Begin Confessional
"I'm sorry, I never played a lick of baseball in my life," Kai explained as he sat with a disappointed look on his face. "I got so flustered that I forgot what I had to do."
End Confessional
Up next was Gerald. He stepped up to the plate with a smug look on his face. "I'm about to destroy your ERA," he mocked, referring to Tyson, who began the first pitch. Strike one.
Celia snickered a little, which Gerald didn't take too kindly. "I'm just waiting for my pitch, dumbass," he grumbled angrily.
"Fuck you, dude," Celia spat back as she caught the second strike.
Gerald growled in frustration and prepared his next swing. Tyson pitched a hefty fastball and it came like a missile towards Gerald. But the hacker swung this time and the crack of the bat was enough to tell you that this ball was outta here. Tyson looked absolutely crushed as the ball splashed into the lake.
"A two run dinger!" John announced, as the Deer cheered Bo and Gerald on while they made it around the bases.
"Man, I was really hoping for him to strike out," Celia grumbled as she adjusted her glove.
On his way to his team's bench, Gerald celebrated by himself with some really nerdy dance moves to which Jaz would roll her eyes at the sight. "You are such a dweeb," she grumbled under her breath.
Up next at bat was Vela, who had a fire in her eyes and was ready for whatever speeding pitch Tyson had for her. So much so that she pounded the first pitch straight into the lake beyond. "EAT IT!" she screamed as she ran around the bases.
"Unbelievable, back to back homers!" John gasped. "And the Deer now lead three to nothing."
Celia went up to Tyson to have a small chat. "Dude, are you okay?" she asked. "Why are you giving them such free hits?"
"I'm not trying to," he mumbled back. "My fastballs are just easy to predict, I guess."
"You gotta start throwing some wilder pitches," Celia suggested. "Throw them off their game, got it?"
"Totally," Tyson agreed before the two went back to their positions.
Kyla was up next and she had a tight grip on her bat. Celia stared up at her and smirked. "You're in for a big one," she warned.
Kyla was confused but soon realized what was happening when Tyson threw an absolute wild pitch that nearly clocked her in the head. She growled and tossed her bat on the ground. "Sacre bleu, are you trying to kill me?" she snapped.
Tyson shrugged and then threw the next pitch. Since Kyla didn't have her bat, she couldn't swing at it which ended up being a strike down the middle. She growled again and picked up her bat this time, awaiting pitch number three. It was another strike, this time due to Kyla whiffing the ball on her swing.
Celia laughed again. "Nice swing, sweetheart," she mocked.
Kyla grew red in the face, embarrassed as ever and it got worse as she would quickly strike out on the next pitch. "Ack! Son of fucking bitch!" she screamed.
"Whoa," Celia gasped with an amused smile plastered on her face. "Girl is super salty right now."
"I hate baseball…" Kyla grumbled as she dragged herself and her bat back to the bench.
Preston was up next at bat. The first pitch was a ball. The second, a swinging strike. The third, a foul tip. Celia at this point was getting impatient. "Just strike out after this one," she demanded.
Preston did not oblige and instead hit the ball to the left. It rolled towards Miriam, who slid on the sand to grab the ball and then chuck it towards Kai. His second chance to get someone out didn't go well either as he dropped the ball that Miriam had passed, allowing Preston to make it safe. Kai sighed in disappointment again while Tyson looked regretful.
Begin Confessional
"Man, I felt kinda bummed," Tyson confessed. "I'm the one who made him play first base and to see him struggle with the position… Yeah, I can't help but feel a little guilty."
End Confessional
Felix ran up to Kai at first, nudging him in the arm with his glove. "Hey, why don't you and I switch positions," he offered. "Right fielders rarely get the opportunity to make plays."
"I would really appreciate it, kind sir," Kai replied, leaving the base and heading over to Felix's old spot. Felix would then stand by first and share a nod with Tyson.
The next batter was Neda. She held her bat nervously as she stepped up to the plate. "Alright, here I go," she said as Tyson winded up the first pitch. Neda would swing her bat but while doing so it slipped out of her hands. "Oh no!"
The bat ended up only a few feet away and didn't cause any harm but it was still embarrassing. So much so that Gerald was cracking up back at the bench. Neda blushed and sighed as she positioned herself back at the plate. Pitch #2 was a slider that was a bit too below the strike zone. The count was one and one. On the third pitch, Neda would try to swing but miss, almost dropping the bat again as well.
Neda took a deep breath to calm her nerves and wiped her hands against her pants. She readied herself again and this time, actually managed to hit the ball. A ground ball that headed right towards Miriam's glove. She scooped it up and threw it to Aditi at second, who was able to force out Preston. Then she threw the ball to Felix and he tagged Neda just before she touched first base. It was a double play.
"And that's three outs," John announced. "Time to switch sides."
Tyson cheered with a fist pump as he ran off the mound to his bench. He gave a high-five to Celia while he did and then to Miriam when she arrived as well. The Deer headed onto the field with Neda feeling a bit bummed out about her mishap. She would quietly make her way to left field, to which Gerald followed since he was covering center. "What an amazing at bat," he mocked with a disgusted look on his face. "First you let the bat slip out of your hands and then you cause a double play. Geez, you suck."
Neda didn't respond much. All she did was drop her head in shame. Gerald rolled his eyes and got to his position. On right field was Kyla, someone who was still upset with how her last bat appearance went. The remaining players covered the infield. Preston was the catcher, Clifford was the first baseman, Jaz was the second baseman, Rae was the third baseman and Vela was the shortstop.
Bo was on the mound, readying up for the first batter from the Ducks, Felix. The first pitch was a ball, just out of the strike zone. The second was a strike in the corner of the zone. Felix tapped the bat on home plate and glanced over towards Preston. "I'm predicting a fastball with this next one," he said. Preston just smirked as he readied for Bo's next pitch.
It was indeed a fast ball and because of this, Felix would hit a line drive. It headed towards right field but Kyla was still not over her anger to really notice it coming. This caused Gerald to make the run for it but he couldn't catch it in time. He could, however, throw it to first to keep Felix at bay. But he was angry once again. "Come on, Kyla," he growled. "You could've easily caught that."
Kyla, realizing what she had done, covered her face with her glove. "I'm screwing this up so badly," she whined. "I promise, I will do better next time."
"You better," Gerald said bluntly as he headed back to his original spot.
Begin Confessional
"You have to pull yourself together," Kyla grumbled to herself. "I don't want to look bad for my team any more than I do right now. Imagine moi being the first boot. How shameful would that be?"
She sighed and wiped some hair from her face. "Of course, the very first team challenge had to be an American sport that I don't play," she complained. "I should make a blog about how terrible it is after this show is over."
End Confessional
Next up at bat for the Ducks was Aditi. She stood at the plate, shaking her legs with excitement. "My first American baseball game," she beamed. "How exciting!" She would then swing wildly at the ball and miss it entirely.
Bo smirked after seeing this and thought of a way to easily get her out. He threw the most out of bounds pitch you could throw without it being a live ball and as predicted, Aditi swung at it with no regards to where it actually went. After the third time doing this, she struck out much to the disappointment of her team. Aditi, however, seemed rather relaxed about it. "I have a lot to learn, that's for sure," she said to herself.
Up next was the athlete himself. Tyson had the most professional looking batting stance of them all. Bo knew that this would be his toughest at bat so he thought real carefully at what pitches he wanted to do. A fastball to the lower right corner of the strike zone was pitched. Tyson made his swing and it collided with the ball with a satisfying crack. The ball came soaring high up in the air. Tyson sprinted his way to first while keeping a close eye on the ball. It was heading towards Kyla again, who this time saw it coming. But could she catch it? Felix wondered too as he stood still, close to first. If she did drop it, he'd make a mad dash towards second. But she didn't drop it. She caught it and Felix had to run back to first while Tyson defeatedly headed back to his bench.
"Oh! I did it!" Kyla cheered, waving her glove in the air. "I caught it, I caught it!"
"Throw it to the second!" Gerald yelled, pointing out that Felix was now making a run for it since he had safely retouched first base.
Kyla, a bit flustered, managed to actually throw it well enough for it to get to Jaz. The issue was that Jaz absolutely flubbed up the catch and Felix was able to make it to second with ease. Gerald facepalmed himself in frustration.
Begin Confessional
"Being out there and surrounded by three completely incompetent women was super frustrating," Gerald explained as he pounded his fist against the armrest. "You had Ms. Slippery Hands, Ms. French Idiot and Ms. Pathetic Maid all trying to ruin the lead that I had created. If we lose, I'm making sure one of them goes."
End Confessional
Next up at bat was Celia. She stood by the plate with a strong sense of confidence to her. "Go ahead, throw me your best shot," she boasted. Bo rolled his eyes and wound up for a slider down the middle. Celia swung and missed it but kept her cool. Pitch #2 was an easy ball, making the count one and one again. However, Felix made a break for it. As he attempted to steal third base, Preston would throw the ball towards Rae. Rae struggled to catch the ball but somehow it bobbled safely into her glove and she was able to tag out Felix, making that the third out.
"Hey, not bad," Vela cheered as she and Rae made it back to their bench.
Rae shrugged and looked at her glove. "Guess it was just a lucky catch," she remarked.
Meanwhile, Celia shook her head at Felix when the two made their way back on the field. "You just had to showboat while I was up, huh?" she groaned.
Felix smirked and wiped some sweat from his nose. "My bad, it was just a risk I wanted to take," he explained. "Besides, you were gonna strike out anyway."
Celia rolled her eyes. "Boy, if you don't get your ass to first base..." she threatened in a playful manner.
Felix laughed and tipped his baseball cap. "Sure thing," he said as he headed to where he needed to be.
Tyson was back on the mound as the Deer's first batter of the inning showed up. Jaz had no idea what she was doing but she did send a smile in Tyson's direction. "Hey sweetie," she greeted. "If you let me get on base, I'll give you two kisses to make up for the one I owed you last time."
"Don't fall for it this time, Tyson," Felix ordered.
"Shut up!" Jaz shouted, stamping her foot on the ground and spreading some dust around. Celia coughed a little and grumbled angrily.
Meanwhile, Tyson had a big smile on his face as he stared down Jaz from the mound. "Sorry cutie, but I'm trying to win here," he said. "There's actual stakes this time so you'll just have to try your best."
Jaz pouted while Felix smirked with triumph. "Atta boy," he wooed.
Pitch number one was a swinging strike. Jaz's swing was so horrible it made Celia burst out in laughter. Jaz rolled her eyes and ignored her. Swing #2 was another huge miss. Celia's laughter got even louder. "Will you hush already!" Jaz demanded.
"Make me," Celia shot back.
In came pitch #3, in which Jaz failed miserably to hit it again and struck out. Celia was nearly on the floor, rolling over in giggles but Jaz had enough. She kicked a mound of sand right into Celia's face in frustration. The rebel wasn't laughing any more and instead charged right after her. Jaz shrieked and ran for her life as Celia chased her around, screaming threats such as, "I'm gonna beat yo ass!" but eventually Zack stepped in and told them to knock it off.
Jaz went back to her bench while Celia headed back to home plate. Gerald greeted his fellow teammate with some snickering. "You are absolutely pathetic," he insulted. Jaz just shoved him aside and sat with her head hung low.
Clifford was at bat next and he was ready to make a play. Tyson wound up a pitch and threw a slider that ended up being counted as a ball. Pitch #2 was a ball. Pitch #3, also a ball. The count was three to nothing. One more ball and Clifford would get a free base. Tyson rolled his throwing shoulder and wound up for the next pitch. A fastball straight down the middle was what he wanted but it was more like a fastball three feet to the left of the middle. Ball four.
Clifford shrugged and tossed his bat to the ground. "I'll take it," he said as he jogged towards first base.
"Hey Tyson, is your arm okay?" Sienna asked from third base.
Tyson rolled his shoulder, wincing a little but he nodded his head. "Yeah, it's fine," he lied. "I got this, don't worry."
Ninth in the Deer's batting order was Rae. One would assume that Tyson had an easy out but his shoulder was still bothering him. He ended up walking her accidentally as well. With two Deer on bases, Sienna called for a timeout and headed over towards Tyson. "I think you might've pulled something in your shoulder area," Sienna suggested, checking his arm closely. "You need to step away from the mound. Someone else needs to pitch."
"But who should take over then?" he asked.
"Ooh, I can!" offered Yana, who came scurrying towards the two. "I want to give pitching a shot, can I?"
Tyson nodded and stepped off the mound. "Go crush it, okay?" he said as he headed over towards center field. Yana and Sienna shared smiles before the game was put back in motion.
Yana was faced with Bo, his second plate appearance of the game. With a fresh arm, could things play out differently? Yana went for an unexpected underhand pitch, which would throw Bo off a little and earn him a strike. Yana's second pitch was another underhanded one and it landed safely in the zone for the second strike. Bo wiped some sweat from his forehead, regaining some confidence. In came pitch #3 and WHAM! Bo had cracked the ball over towards left field, where Edgar stood there watching it fly over his head. He sighed and slowly went to the ball to pick it up, all the while Clifford and Rae were heading home to score.
"Are you freaking kidding me?" Felix grumbled as he saw just how pathetic Edgar was playing. Bo ended up getting a two-run triple. Making the game score, five-to-nothing.
Tyson scratched behind his ear and looked over towards Edgar. "Hey, uh, could you maybe be a little more quicker next time?" he asked.
Edgar stared at him and sighed. "I'll try," he mumbled.
Gerald was back up at the plate. Celia had spoken with Yana about a few of their signals and how she needed to follow them. So when she pitched this time, she did it overhanded and even managed to pull a standing strike. Gerald wasn't too happy and glared over to Samson. "I don't agree with that call," he protested. "It was clearly a ball."
"No it wasn't, dumbass," Celia grumbled.
Samson shook his head. "Whatever the umpire says is final," he said. Gerald groaned in frustration but kept his batting stance in check. In came the second pitch. Gerald managed to foul it off to the right side but since it was a pop up, there was a chance for him to be out. It was up to none other than Kai.
The royal gulped as he saw the ball flying towards his way. He made a run for it, hoping to not fail his team once again. Many of the other fielders waited with anticipation to see what would happen. It was a foul ball no matter what, so nothing really bad could occur if he missed but an out was very much needed right now with them being down by a big margin. Kai extended his arm out and opened his glove. It was up to fate now.
Fate decided it was a catch.
Tyson cheered Kai on as Gerald was absolutely pissed. He stormed to the bench in total disbelief. Kai felt a sense of pure joy grow within him as he stared at the ball in his glove. He checked over towards Felix, his closest teammate, and tossed him the ball as prompted. Kai then went back to his spot on right field, unable to stop smiling.
Begin Confessional
"That felt stupendous," Kai said, reflecting on the catch. "I never thought baseball could get so exhilarating! I've done well this time. I've done well."
End Confessional
"Oh, look who it is," said Vela as she walked up to the plate. "It's the girl I yanked straight into the mud yesterday."
Yana darted her eyes towards her and frowned. "Thanks for reminding me," she responded before winding up her pitch. Vela attempted to swing at it when it came but somehow whiffed it completely. Strike one.
Vela adjusted her shirt and smirked. "Alright, bub, I see how it is," she said, readying herself for the next pitch. She swung again but missed still. Now she was getting flustered. "Oh come on, hit the dang ball already!"
Celia gave Vela a look. "Are you yelling at yourself?" she asked.
"It's to psyche myself up, of course," Vela explained before blasting the next pitch down center field. Tyson wasn't able to make the catch as it came too quickly so Bo scored from third and Vela made it to second with ease. The score was now six to nothing.
Celia groaned as she adjusted herself a little. "We are getting our asses whooped so bad right now," she said as the next batter arrived at the plate. "Oh, it's the super salty girl again."
"Uhhh, what?" Kyla replied, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.
"Nevermind," Celia responded. "Just pay attention to the pitches this time."
Kyla sighed and faced Yana, who was ready for the first pitch. A decent fast slider that Kyla would whiff at with ease. Afterwards, she stared at her bat and clenched her teeth. "The worst sport ever…" she seethed.
The next pitch shocked Kyla because she managed to hit it. It was a line drive down the center and it made Yana instinctively duck. The ball was coming towards Aditi, who was ready to make the catch. But she dropped it, much to her dismay. Yet this entire time, Kyla didn't even move from home plate. She just stood there in disbelief that she actually managed to hit it. So Aditi simply picked up the ball and tossed it to Felix. Kyla was still out and almost everyone on her team was absolutely annoyed.
"That'll retire the side," John announced, ordering the Deer to take their spots on the field and let the Ducks bat again.
Kyla was so angry at herself that she didn't even want to play anymore. "Just vote me out, I freaking deserve it," she grumbled.
Bo pulled her aside and shook his head. "The hell is wrong with you?" he asked. "We're winning and you're already deciding to quit? You can't be serious."
"I just can't do things right, okay?" Kyla defended. "I'm trying but I really hate baseball. It's the most stupid sport on Earth."
"Man, quit whining," Bo groaned, pushing Kyla forward with disgust. "Get out there and field. I'm tired of this."
Kyla sighed and slowly made her way to her spot, still not enjoying any of this. Clifford then stopped by Bo at the mound and spoke with him quietly. "If we do end up losing this somehow, do we get rid of her?" he asked.
Bo shrugged. "Maybe, but we ain't going to lose so don't worry about it," he assured.
Clifford shrugged and went back to first while Bo prepared himself for the first batter of this inning. It was still Celia since she never got a chance to put the ball in play due to Felix's failed steal attempt. "Watch me come in clutch right here," she said as she readied herself for Bo's pitch. A swing and a crack of the bat later, Celia found herself sliding into second base and being called safe. She fist pumped to herself and then noticed who was the second baseman. "Oh, it's the kick sand in my face bitch."
Jaz gulped nervously and stepped a few feet back. "Don't hurt me please," she pleaded.
Celia laughed menacingly in an attempt to mess with her. "I don't make any promises," she said with a smug grin on her face.
Over by home plate, Miriam was up. She narrowed her eyes at Bo and held up her bat. "Throw me with whatever you got left in the tank," she dared.
"I call the shots here," Bo countered before winding up and blazing a fastball to her. Miriam seemed determined and swung her bat, cracking it hard and seeing it fly off into the lake. Homerun.
The Ducks on the bench cheered with excitement as the two girls made their way around the bases, while Bo shook his head in disappointment. "Can't believe I let that one get past me like that," he grumbled.
"Still got a four point lead," Preston said as he met up with Bo. "Just ease up on the fastballs. I think Miriam was just able to predict it coming."
Bo nodded and Preston returned to his spot behind home plate. The next batter to show up was Yana. She waved cutely at her fellow pitcher and then grew a determined look on her face. Bo stayed stoic and wound up for his pitch. It was a beautiful sinker in which Yana fell for and missed.
"Keep it up," Preston told Bo as he tossed the ball back. Bo kept his stoic demeanor and sent a missile fastball next. Yana didn't even swing this time. Strike two.
Yana took a deep breath and readied herself once more. Bo rubbed some sweat from his face with his wrist and then threw his next pitch. It ended up as a ball which relieved Yana. Bo, however, was determined to strike her out. He stared her down intensely before winding up and chucking the ball with much force. Strike three.
Yana sighed and stepped away from the plate, dragging her bat on the ground. Sienna was up next but she made sure to encourage Yana a little before she went up there. "It's just one out, plus you can get your revenge on the mound," she told her.
Yana nodded and patted Sienna on the shoulder. "Go get 'em, tiger," she replied, doing a small little growl at the end of it for fun. Sienna giggled at such and then made her way to the plate.
Bo's first pitch was a mean curveball down the right. Strike one. Sienna would then swing and miss the next pitch. Strike two. Gerald stood back in center field with a smirk on his face. "Easy out," he called.
Sienna did not let that bother her. Instead, she was able to hit the next pitch that was thrown. It was a ground ball that rolled between Bo's legs and headed towards Jaz. She tried to scoop it up but failed. She would do the same thing a second time, much to her embarrassment. Sienna was safe at first while Bo was miffed on the mound. "I get why Gerald thinks you're pathetic now," he said under his breath.
Kai was next up at bat. He sent a smile in Bo's direction as he made it to the plate. "I wish for a fair confrontation between you and I," he said.
Bo rolled his eyes and sent his first pitch. Kai would swing and knick it towards the left, letting it roll towards Rae. She scooped it up and decided to keep Sienna from making it to the second. All was well until Jaz would once again fail at making the catch. Sienna and Kai were both safe.
"Oh darn," Rae sighed, looking just a tad bit disappointed. "I guess I should've thrown it to first."
"Nah, Jaz just needs to learn how to freaking catch," Vela growled, shooting a scowl towards second base.
Jaz crossed her arms. "Look, I'm trying the best I can over here," she defended. "I don't normally play sports so just chillax a little."
Bo pressed against his eyes to relieve some pressure and sighed. "We can't seriously be collapsing like this," he said. "Everyone needs to step up. Do not blow this."
The next batter he had to face was Edgar, who struck out without even trying. When he walked back to the bench, Felix was pissed. He jabbed a finger into the emo's shoulder. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked. "Are you trying to make us lose?"
Edgar sighed. "Sorry, I just don't really like baseball," he confessed.
"Well who cares what you do and don't like, we need to win here," Felix countered. "We're down by four and really can't waste any outs like you just did."
"Well then just vote me off if we lose," Edgar replied, rolling his eyes. "I don't really care."
Felix shook his head and made his way to the plate as he was up next. Edgar would sit on the bench and hunch over quietly. Yana watched him and grew empathetic. She sat next to him and placed a hand on his back. "Are you okay?" she asked. "You seem so sad right now."
"I'm fine," Edgar replied bluntly.
"Just leave him be," Celia suggested to Yana. "He just wants to be all mopey dopey over a baseball game."
Meanwhile, Felix swung at Bo's pitch and landed a hit. It bounced on the ground by left field to which Neda would scoop up and try to throw the ball to third. However, the ball slipped out of her hands mid-throw and she ended up chucking the ball out of bounds. Horrified by her mishap she tried her best to quickly recover it and tossed the ball to Rae. It didn't matter though as Sienna was already safe on third. The bases were now loaded.
"Did we touch, like, a magic baseball that absorbed our skills or something?" Clifford asked as he stood by first base with his arms crossed.
"You mean like that Space Jam movie?" Felix asked, who stood on first.
"Exactly," Clifford affirmed with a smirk. "What a weird film that was."
"It's a classic though," Felix added.
Meanwhile, Bo was getting ready for his next pitch. This time at the overly-excited Aditi. She stood with the bat slung pretty high above her shoulder. "Alright, second chance now," she said as Bo made the pitch. Like all the times before, she swung wildly and missed. Many of her fellow teammates on base grew nervous. This was such a golden opportunity. They couldn't blow it.
Bo threw the next pitch, this time off to the side just like the last time. But Aditi didn't swing this time so it was a ball. Bo smirked a little. "Alright, she is learning it seems," he mumbled before chucking a fastball down the middle. Aditi swung wildly again but this time she unbelievably managed to hit it. And hit it she did as it was smacked far across the field and into the lake.
"Oh my!" John gasped in disbelief. "She just hit a grand slam! The score is now tied!"
"Holy shit…" Preston said as his jaw slowly dropped.
Aditi ran around the bases, laughing and smiling with pure delight. "That was incredible," she wooed once she made it to home plate. The other three runners awaited her there and gave her high-fives.
"Oh my gosh, you're amazing!" Sienna squealed while clapping for her.
"A fine play indeed," Kai added with a bow.
Felix smirked and patted Aditi on the shoulder. "I can't fathom the chances of a hit like that ever happening again," he said. "But we're right back in this game."
Up next was Tyson again. He twirled the bat around then readied himself. "I may have a bad shoulder but I can still hit as hard as ever," he bragged. Bo did not let up and sent a booming fastball towards Tyson's direction. Undeterred by such, Tyson swung and heard the crack with the ensuing splash.
"And to add insult to injury, Tyson takes the lead for the Ducks with a solo shot," John announced.
Bo tossed his glove to the ground in frustration, disappointed in himself for allowing such hits to happen. With Aditi, he simply let his guard down. But with Tyson, he knew better. "Aight, I'm done with this," he said. "Someone else has gotta pitch."
Gerald volunteered to take his spot and Bo expected him to say something mean or whatever but Gerald simply kept quiet. He just took the spot on the mound and awaited the next batter.
Begin Confessional
"Okay, I was not expecting Bo to choke the game away like that," Gerald explained. "I almost felt kinda bad for him. Everyone else was screwing up so much that it put too much pressure on him."
He crossed his arms and nodded his head. "Yep, one of the girls has to go," he said. "They are holding us guys back and bringing them down to their level."
End Confessional
Celia was next up at bat and she couldn't help but smirk. "Back here already?" she mocked.
"Not for long," Gerald said as he made his first pitch. Celia would swing and hit a quick one, heading straight towards the hacker himself. He reacted quickly and caught the ball, finally ending the inning.
"If the White-Tailed Deer don't score this round, they lose," John announced as the teams swapped sides.
Yana was back on the mound, ready to face the first batter of the inning. Preston stretched his arms out and then got in his batting stance. A wild pitch to the right ended up being a ball. Yana took a deep breath and went for pitch number two. Preston kept on a focused glare and swung mightily. He smacked the ball high up and it seemed like it was going to be a straight solo shot down the middle.
But Tyson was not going to let that happen. He followed the ball in the air before lunging with his glove out. Miraculously, he caught the ball right before it splashed into the water, saving a homerun from happening. John was impressed by this display of athleticism. "That might end up being the catch of the game," he said.
Tyson fist pumped with excitement as everyone else on the team cheered him on. Yana sighed in relief and readied up for the next batter. Neda was at the plate now and she made sure her hands were dry as can be. With a fastball to the right, Neda would swing and miss. Then she would ground a foul ball on the next pitch after.
"I have to hit it or else I'm screwed," Neda said to herself. In came the next pitch, to which she swung at with her eyes closed, hoping for the best. She managed to make contact and immediately bolted towards first base. The ball ended up rolling its way to Sienna, who scooped it and tossed it to Felix. Neda dived head first and slid to the base just as she was getting tagged. After the dust settled, John made the call.
"Safe!" he said, much to the relief of Neda.
Felix rolled his eyes and tossed the ball back to Yana. He peeked over to Neda, who pushed herself up and brushed some dirt off of her knees. "Dare you to steal second," he said.
Neda shook her head and kept her focus on the next batter, Jaz. She held the bat a bit better this time but Celia was still snickering to herself as she couldn't help but remember how her last at bat went. Jaz shook her head at her and awaited Yana's pitch. She would swing and manage to hit the ball down to left field. While she bolted to first, Edgar saw the ball roll his way. After sighing, he scooped up the ball and tossed it to Miriam, who made a quick throw to first to get the miraculous out.
"No way, I was safe!" Jaz complained to John.
"Not even close," John countered, pointing towards her bench. "You're out, missy."
Jaz pouted and stormed her way back. Clifford was on his way to the plate before stopping to say something to Jaz. "At least you allowed Neda to make it to second," he said. "All we need is one run."
Jaz sighed and looked worried. "Please get a hit," she begged. "I don't want to lose our first challenge like this."
As Clifford prepared for his pitch, he noticed Neda leading off from second base by a large margin. He grew an idea. While the first pitch was coming, he held his bat out stiffly and bunted the ball. Celia would scramble for the ball and toss it to third after a brief moment of hesitation. This would ultimately allow Neda to make it to third base safely. She was just 90 feet away from tying up the game.
Clifford jogged his way to first in the meantime, while Bo clapped for him back at the bench. "Smart play in order to move Neda forward," he said. "Now we just need Rae to not fuck this up."
Rae was already at the plate, just staring at Yana as she held her bat up. Yana wound up her pitch and hucked a pretty decent fast ball in her direction. Rae would let that one be, taking the standing strike. Yana's next pitch was a curveball that flew way out of the strike zone, making the count one and one.
Tensions were high amongst everyone on the field. Yana, especially, was feeling it as her nerves were beginning to crumble just a tad. "Don't let her hit this," she said to herself as she wound up her pitch and threw it after.
Rae would observe the ball approaching and try for a swing. It was a whiff and now the Ducks were one strike away from winning the game. "Oh gee, all this pressure does not feel good," Rae mumbled to herself as she readied herself for the next pitch. Neda was cheering her on as the ball came blazing. With all her might Rae managed to knock the ball pretty far but it headed right towards Tyson's glove. Out.
"And the Mallard Ducks win the baseball game!" John announced as the winning team all cheered and ran to Tyson, hoisting him up on their shoulders. John clapped and enjoyed their celebration. "An incredible effort and well deserved."
Meanwhile, Rae headed back to her team along with Neda and Clifford. The shame she felt was great but at least she had the excuse of her whole team messing up as well. Clifford scratched behind his ear, eyeing around at his team nervously. "Well this sucks," he said.
Bo kicked some sand to the side and shook his head. "Unbelievable," he grumbled.
Vela went up to Rae and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll get 'em next time, kid," she assured.
"Is there gonna be another baseball game or something?" Rae asked.
"I sure hope not," Kyla interjected, staring down at the ground in disappointment.
Everyone's attention quickly diverted towards John after he had blown a swift whistle. He asked both teams to crowd up together so he could say some things to them all. "This was a fun, exciting game," he said with a big smile on his face. "Just in time for lunch too."
Samson would start pulling off the bases and carrying them with the rest of the equipment. Before he left, he waved at the campers. "See you around, kids," he farewelled.
Aditi was the only one to wave back and she did so with lots of excitement. "Buh bye, sir," she said.
John checked his watch before speaking again. "Before you all get your lunch, I think it's time to explain how elimination will work," he suggested. "You see, when I mentioned the Captains would be used differently this season, this is where it really shows itself. Prior to the elimination ceremony, I need the Captain of the losing team to decide on two nominations. The two he chooses will be the only two up for elimination, adding a different level of strategy to the game. However, if the majority of the team decides to veto the Captains' decision then the Captain will be up for elimination alongside someone else the team chooses. That way the Captain doesn't have all the power."
"So it's up to me to decide who must go?" Clifford asked.
"Sorta," John answered, wiggling his hand indecisively. "More like you get to decide who the team can vote for. Sometimes, however, I may not allow any nominations and everyone on the losing team will be up for elimination instead. But for this time, I won't be doing that."
Clifford shared looks with his team. "Guess I have a lot to think about," he remarked as he adjusted his glasses.
"Anyway, as for the winning team, you're free to relax and enjoy the rest of your day," John explained before gesturing towards the cafeteria. "So why don't you all head over there and eat your lunch. And Deer, this would be the time to plead to your Captain on who to nominate. At three o'clock, I'll see you all at the Main Hall for your elimination ceremony."
/
At the cafeteria, the Mallard Ducks sat together with cold cut sandwiches served by Michelle and her son. They celebrated their victory with a fun little toast with their milk cartons. "To one hell of a victory and many more," Tyson led, clinking his carton with the teammate nearby.
"I still can't freaking believe Aditi got us a grand slam," Felix remarked, pointing a finger at her. "You must have some crazy hidden skills or something… Or you just got lucky."
Aditi blushed modestly. "I think it was just luck," she replied. "Miriam and Tyson were the ones that made the great defensive plays. And offensive ones too, let's not forget they scored home runs as well."
"Bo kept throwing them balls fast and down the middle," Miriam explained as she tore off the crusts of her sandwich. "I couldn't help but take advantage."
"The pressure was getting to him, I could tell," Tyson added, picking his teeth with a toothpick. "But props to Yana for holding her own on the mound."
"Aw stop it," Yana responded with a bashful wave. "But yeah, I had a lot of fun out there."
Sienna nodded along. "You were great," she complimented. "And Tyson, how's the arm feeling?"
Tyson rolled his shoulder and smiled. "It just needs some rest and it should be fine," he assured.
Kai patted him on his good shoulder. "You deserve that rest," he said. "I'm still impressed by that magnificent catch you made to save us from Preston's potential homerun."
Tyson chuckled as he fondly remembered that catch. "That's not even the wildest catch I ever made," he admitted. "One time while I was playing in the little league, I hopped off the back wall, Jackie Chan-style, to make an unbelievable catch. Apparently, I made the batter cry. He really wanted that homerun."
"But young badass Tyson said sike bitch!" Celia added, making the others at her table laugh. "Man, I was having so much fun out there talking trash. Even made that one maid girl super pressed."
"That sand kick was hilarious," Felix mentioned, scratching under his chin. "And then you chasing her around was even more so."
"She was about to catch these hands, that's for sure," Celia said, thrusting some boxing punches in the air.
The only one on the team who did not say anything was Edgar. He just stared down at his sandwich before pushing it aside. "I'm not hungry," he said before getting up and leaving the cafeteria. Felix watched him go shaking his head.
Begin Confessional
"Such a fascinating person Edgar is," Felix said as he shuffled a deck of cards in his hands casually. "He's like the most depressed guy I ever met. I wonder why he even decided to join this show."
He slid the deck of cards back in their box and tossed it aside with a sigh. "Rest of my team seems a bit easier to read, with maybe the exception of Aditi and Miriam," he explained. "I'll get around to understanding them eventually. Knowing all these interesting personalities can definitely help me in the long run. I gotta start thinking about who I want in my alliance too. Decisions, decisions."
End Confessional
"Any ideas on who I should nominate?" Clifford asked as he sat with his team at their table.
"How about yourself," Gerald suggested with a smirk. "A bunt was way too risky of a move given the circumstances."
Clifford rolled his eyes. "We all made mistakes today," he reminded, pointing at Bo with his thumb. "This guy allowed seven runs in one inning."
"Oh come on," Bo scoffed, staring directly at Jaz. "Half of them were because no one knew how to properly catch a ball."
Jaz took a sip of her juice before noticing the eyes on her. "I said I was trying my best," she defended nervously.
"Your best was absolutely terrible," Gerald grunted, crumbling up some leftover crusts.
"Well, y-you got out too!" Jaz countered.
"And I also hit a home run," Gerald added, rolling his eyes. "Seriously, all you girls were mostly terrible."
"Hey!" Vela snapped. "I hit a home run too. Don't throw me under the bus with them, bub."
"That's why I said mostly, dork," Gerald scoffed, causing Vela to glare at him with contempt.
Rae tapped on the table despondently. "I got us the last out," she said. "So I understand if you nominate me."
"Well you did make some decent defensive plays," Clifford replied before glancing over towards Preston. "I don't know, what do you think?"
Preston jutted his head towards Kyla and Neda. "I think these two could be our weakest links," he suggested bluntly.
Kyla sunk her head into her hands with so much shame. "I knew it," she moaned. "First boot is my destiny."
Neda gulped and tried to comfort Kyla. "That might not be so," she assured. "You just had one bad day."
"Two," Kyla corrected, not even lifting her head to look at her.
"Right…" Neda sighed.
/
After lunch, the Mallard Ducks headed back to their cabins to relax. On the boy's side; Tyson, Kai and Felix were playing a game of four-way Texas Hold 'Em together with Samson being the fourth player. Edgar just sat on his bunk and watched them quietly play. "Easy peasy, I'm all in," Tyson said, shoving his chips forward.
"I fold," Kai said, tossing his cards to the side.
"Same," Samson added, doing the same.
Felix pushed all of his chips and smirked. "Show me what you got," he ordered. Tyson nodded and revealed that he had a nine and seven, giving him a straight. Felix raised his eyebrows as he only had a two pair with his hand. "Wow, I got got."
Tyson laughed wholesomely as he took all the chips. Meanwhile, Felix got up to his feet and stretched his arms out with a yawn. "I'm gonna go for a walk, you guys have fun," he said as he made his way towards the exit. He stopped for a bit to beckon over Edgar. "Come on dude, we need to talk."
Edgar sat there and didn't move at first but Felix persisted. The emo reluctantly went with him as they both headed out the cabin to go for a walk. Felix turned to Edgar with an intrigued look on his face. "Seemed like a rough day to you, huh?" he remarked.
"The days are always rough," Edgar responded.
"Well damn, sorry to hear that," Felix said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Any particular reason why you're depressed about everything?"
Edgar stopped in his tracks and turned away. "I don't think I want to talk about this with you," he denied.
"Come on, what's wrong with you?" Felix groaned, flopping his arms to his side. "Why are you such a downer all the time?"
Edgar stood still in silence before shaking his head and leaving Felix to be by himself. He would soon sit alone on the front porch steps, staring off into the woods but eventually, he had company. It wasn't Felix though. It was Sienna. She would take the seat next to him. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked kindly.
Edgar didn't respond much, he just continued staring off but this time lower down at the ground. Sienna bit her lip and caressed her knees with her thumbs. "Uh, whatever you're going through, I just wanna tell you that everything will be okay," she assured softly.
Edgar lifted his head up before facing Sienna with a blank expression on his face. "How can you be so sure?" he asked.
Sienna stared at him for a bit, ultimately shrugging and curling up a little. "I don't know, I just wanted to be nice, that's all," she confessed.
Edgar kept his gaze on her for a bit, thinking about some things to himself. It was definitely sweet of her to do something like that to him, so he figured he had to say something. "Well, I guess I uh… am thankful for that," he said. A small smile grew across Sienna's face.
Begin Confessional
"I think I might have a crush on Edgar," Sienna confessed as she fiddled with her hair a little. "I feel like he's a really sweet person but just can't really show it, I guess. And it sucks to see him so sad all the time. I wanna fix that."
End Confessional
It was now time for the elimination ceremony. The White-Tailed Deer were gathered together at the Main Hall while John stood by his podium patiently. "Good afternoon campers," he greeted. "Welcome to your first elimination ceremony. The rules are simple; Your Captain will nominate two people to be up for elimination. Afterwards, I'll have each of you go up and vote for one of them. The unlucky camper with the most votes will be eliminated. So with that said, Clifford, please tell me your nominations."
Clifford stepped forward, glancing back at his teammates for a bit. "After careful consideration and talking with all of my team…" he began. "I nominate Jaz and Kyla for elimination."
"That's so uncool!" Jaz shouted angrily. Kyla, however, sighed in defeat.
John nodded and wrote the names down. "Now, before we vote, does anyone want to veto the decision?" he asked.
"I obviously do," Jaz said, raising her hand. But she was the only one who did. Not even Kyla wanted to veto, so the nominations were final.
John then ordered each camper to go into the voting room and make their decision. After all that was done, he took the votes and tallied them up. "The votes are in, we have our ultimate decision," he spoke, holding up an index card. "With the votes being split five-to-four, the one who is eliminated for the first time this season is…
…
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…Jaz!"
"Noooo, come on!" Jaz protested, throwing a complete tantrum. "I suck at one baseball game and you guys wanna get rid of me already!?"
"Well you're also incredibly annoying," Vela added, rolling her eyes. She checked over to Kyla, who sat there with her mouth wide open. "Guess it wasn't your destiny after all."
Kyla grew a small smile and clasped her hands together. "Oh merci, merci," she beamed. "It's a miracle."
"Well Jaz, looks like you gotta get going," John said, pointing off towards the dock. "Your boat ride back to Milwaukee is waiting for you."
"No John! I have to stay here," Jaz pleaded, tearing up a little. "I can't be the first boot. My sisters will never let me hear the end of it."
"The votes are final, I'm afraid," John denied with a defensive shrug.
"Please, there's gotta be something that you can do," she begged. "I'll do anything, you hear me?"
"You really wanna stay on this island that bad, huh?" John remarked, sucking in his cheek as he thought of something. "Alright, you can stay."
"Yes!" Jaz cheered, dancing around with joy.
"You gotta be kidding me, John," Gerald groaned. "It was that easy?"
John held up a finger. "Hold on a sec, I'm not finished," he said, causing Jaz to stop in her tracks nervously. "You get to stay here… as a cleaning lady!"
"What!?" Jaz shrieked.
"Oh my God. John, you genius!" Gerald laughed, covering his amazed expression with his hand. Jaz was completely flustered by this whole ordeal.
"You can stay on this island and work with our cleaning staff," John explained with a smug smile. "You said you would do anything."
Jaz crossed her arms and pouted. "Will I get a chance to rejoin the competition at least?" she asked hopefully.
John shrugged. "Maybe," he replied before stepping away from the podium. "But as for now, pack your stuff from the Deer cabin and head on over to the staff cabin. Meanwhile, the rest of you can enjoy the rest of your day."
Vela smirked as she stood up from her seat and stretched. "Well what do you know, this show is already pulling a crazy twist on us," she joked before looking down at Rae. "Wanna hang out at the gym with me later?"
"Um actually, I was hoping to spend my evening alone for a bit," Rae denied.
"That's alright, bub," Vela said, walking away with a relaxed smile. "You go have fun then."
/
Jaz packed her belongings in her suitcase, mumbling angry words to herself when Kyla entered the cabin with a smug grin on her face. "My, my, how unfortunate," she mocked.
Jaz gave her a death stare. "You'll be out next, I promise," she snapped.
"Still better than you," Kyla countered.
"Well good luck trying not to lose your shit when I'm gone," Jaz said as she zipped up her suitcase. "You're so bipolar, it hurts."
"I'll show you what actually hurts," Kyla growled before tackling Jaz abruptly and pulling on her hair. Jaz screamed for her to let go but Kyla wouldn't. That was until Vela came in and pulled her off.
"Jesus, what the hell are you doing?" she asked.
Kyla was losing it and suddenly bursted into tears. "I hate it here…" she sobbed.
Jaz picked herself up, her hair all ruffled. "Crazy bitch," she grumbled, taking her suitcase and leaving as quickly as she could.
Kyla ran to her bunk and flopped down face first. She cried into her pillow while Vela just stood there awkwardly. Neda came into the cabin next and saw the scene. "What happened?" she asked the candler.
"Kyla and Jaz got into a little fight," Vela explained, crossing her arms. "I missed how it all started. Anyways, I'm going to the gym. Wanna come with me?"
"Sure, I will soon," Neda agreed, pointing at Kyla. "But I wanna talk to her first."
"Fair," Vela said, leaving her alone and exiting the cabin.
Neda slowly approached Kyla on the bed, who was still crying into her pillow. She gently took a seat next to her, causing her to lift her head to see who was there. "What do you want?" Kyla asked.
Neda tapped her pointers together timidly. "I just wanna see if you're alright," she said.
"Do I look alright to you?" Kyla asked sarcastically as she wiped her eyes.
"No…" Neda replied, lowering her head a little.
"God, I am so upset with myself that I let Jaz get to me like that," Kyla groaned, sniffing a little. "I don't know why I can't just control my freaking temper."
"Have you tried counting to ten or something like that?" Neda asked.
"Non," Kyla denied, taking a deep breath. "I really should do, and other things too. Anything to stop from being such a ticking time bomb."
Neda reached out for the stuffed bunny that she gave Kyla earlier and handed it to her. "If you ever need a break to come talk things out with someone, just let me know," she suggested. "I can relate a bit with being far away from your home. It's my dream to come back and visit Iran one day. So I hope you feel better."
Kyla took the stuffed bunny and held it close. "Thank you," she said quietly. "You're really kind."
"Anything I can do to help out a friend," Neda replied with a sweet smile.
Begin Confessional
"Part of my strategy in this show is to simply make some friends," Neda explained. "Being on as many people's good sides as I can will be helpful for me in the long run."
She crossed her legs and held up her knee with her hands. "As for Kyla, she's interesting to me," she said. "She's got huge problems with her temper but I can tell she wants to fix that. And like I said, I can relate to her in a way. Maybe our friendship could evolve into a powerful alliance. Ooo, perhaps I can get Rae and Vela on board and we could have, like, this unstoppable girl squad. That would be awesome."
End Confessional
Vela was at the gym, shooting basketballs by herself until she heard someone enter. "About time, Neda," she said, turning around to see that it was not Neda. "Oh, hey Preston."
Preston greeted her with a nod. "Out here alone too, I see," he said nonchalantly.
Vela held up her ball. "Wanna play?" she offered. Preston shrugged and the two faced off in front of the net. Vela had the ball and kept still, waiting for Preston to do something. "Go ahead, try and take this from me."
Preston rolled his eyes and swiped at the ball, to which Vela would dribble around him and attempt a shot. She missed and Preston caught the rebound. Vela would get all up in his face, preventing him from moving forward but he did a quick sly maneuver to the right and twirled around her. He made a lay up with ease after.
"Well okay then," Vela said with a smirk as she turned around with her hands on her hips. "Wasn't expecting Chef Boyardee to know ball."
Preston gave her a look. "Chef Boyardee? Really?" he grunted.
"Oh come on, it was clever," Vela said, swiping the ball from his grip. She made a shot and it swished perfectly, causing her to smile pridefully at her opponent. "Tied up."
/
Finally, John was at his office, typing away before noticing the camera. "Ah, it's that time again," he said with a smile. "The end of the episode is finally here and we have a lot more elimination ceremonies to look forward to too. With Jaz being demoted to cleaning duty, what other camper will face elimination next? We hope to find out with you next time on the Peralta Challenges. See ya!"
And that was that, I hope you liked it. Here's what the voting looked like and the status of the teams:
Jaz: Gerald, Kyla, Neda, Rae, Vela
Kyla: Bo, Clifford, Jaz, Preston
The Mallard Ducks: Aditi, Celia, Edgar, Felix, Kai, Miriam, Sienna, Tyson and Yana
The White-Tailed Deer: Bo, Clifford, Gerald, Kyla, Neda, Preston, Rae and Vela
Eliminated: Jaz (18th)
As for Jaz, as indicated by her still staying on the island, she will still be a part of this story basically as an intern. It was extremely hard to pick a first boot with this cast but this decision made it a bit easier. I do have some fun things planned with her as the new cleaning lady so hopefully Nobody245 will still be excited to see what I have in store. By the way, thanks for sending her in as well.
And now here's the name/hint for the next episode:
EPISODE 3: GOING IN BLIND
With that said and done, stay hydrated and have a wonderful day :)