I'm back, baby! And I have exciting news! Tsukuyomu has finally finished the sketches of all the Oc's in this story! So if you're curious as to what your character may look like, head on over to deviantart art and type in Shi-no-Kogo into the search engine to pull up the image of your character. Feel free to comment on it and the other pictures and let my loyal friend know what you think
Here's the next chapter in the Pahkitew's Vengeance series! Will Kiko and Zelda survive the team swap? Can Maurananei and Kiko ever stop fighting? Will Kiko get her Animatrix? When will I stop asking you these meaningless questions and get to the story?
Probably now!
Forgot to mention this; I don't own Total Drama! All I own are Micheal and Mortisha! All the other characters belong to their respective creators!
"Last time on Total Drama: Pahkitew's Vengeance! We decided to head out West for some good old fashioned fun! And by 'heading out' West, I mean changing the entire island to suit my very dangerous needs! The campers first battled it out in a bar-less bar brawl before racing across the desert in a wild stagecoach chase that resulted in every member of the Rhinos getting tossed into the dirt as the Eagles soared to victory! The Rhinos were about to send Reese home, but it turns out it was a reward challenge! And as an even sicker twist, Trey and Mortisha swapped teams with Kiko and her lackey, Zelda! Will they survive the switch, or will they rip each others guts out?" Chris said with a sick smile on his face. "Find out, on Total! Drama! Pahkitew's Vengeance!"
(theme song plays)
"AAAAAWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"Shut up!
"Can it!"
"Put a sock in it!"
It was just after the last elimination; the campfire had been put out as the teams went their separate ways, the Eagles to the Hangout of Awesomeness and the Rhinos back to their tree house for a good night's rest. Unfortunately, things weren't exactly turning out well. While Trey had settled in comfortably, taking the top bunk over Micheal's (in case the Sasquatchanakwa tried to steal it again), Mortisha hadn't been so easy to sooth. She was now currently on top of the roof, howling at the full moon at the top of her lungs, keeping everyone in the arboreal abode awake.
"Argh! When Chris send we would be getting new room mates, I didn't know he meant annoying room mates!" Toni growled as she covered her ears with her pillow. The others had followed her example, shoving everything from their pillows and blankets to their shirts and stinky socks into their ears in an attempt to block out the noise. "Knock it off!" Trey yelled. The howling stopped, much to everyone's relief, and the sound of Mortisha's footsteps could be heard on the roof. Her head soon appeared hanging upside down from one of the windows. "Not until Micheal and Toni come here and howl with me." she insisted. The two shape-shifters glanced at each other before sighing. "Fine," Micheal said with a yawn. "But after this, you don't ever do again, comprendo?" Mortisha vigorously shook her head, and the two teens went to the window to climb up onto the roof.
Anuok sighed with relief and turned over in her bunk. Reese, unable to actually sleep in a bed, lay back in his wheel chair and attempted to fall asleep. Trey, knowing what was coming, covered his ears with two pillows as the footsteps on the roof echoed through the room. He saw the night sky turn red for a brief moment, signaling that Micheal had activated the Animatrix. A few minutes passed in silence, and Trey thought that the two shape-shifters had turned on Mortisha, silencing her for the night.
He was however, wrong.
"AAAAAAAAAWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"AAAAARRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
"HHH-RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!"
"Why!?" Toni wailed as she shoved her face into her pillow.
It was early the next morning. Caroline blinked open her eyes and yawned quietly as she got up from her comfortable spot on a stained sofa. The piece of furniture had once been spotless, but after a night of hard partying and video game playing, it was now covered in orange and blue stains. Caroline ignored it however as she sat up; the couch would once again be spotless the next time they came into the Hangout of Awesomeness. She looked around the dark room, with its two giant flat screen TVs taking up an entire wall. One of them was rolling through the credits of a muted action movie with Maurananei and Mitchell out cold in front it. Alan was sprawled out on the floor with an Xbox controller in one limp hand. Caroline looked at the screen to see a paused game of Bioshock. She had surprisingly enjoyed the game after Alan asked her for the umpteenth time to play with him.
Quietly, she tip toed across the floor, avoiding the numerous chip bags and empty soda cans. How only four people could make a such a mess was beyond her. Wincing at the loud rumbling sound, she pulled the garage door to the Hangout up and stepped out into the cool morning air. She sucked in a breath of fresh air and rolled the door shut before walking out through the woods. She seemingly headed off in a random direction, toward the 1,001 ft tall cliff. Instead of talking the long trek up it, she instead walked around it, toward it's base she knew she would find a shabby building she had been told about yesterday. She quickly found it, about fifty yards away from the shoreline where the waves gently lapped. The stables (more like shack) were almost unrecognizable. Its shingled roof had holes in it with mold and vines draped everywhere. The walls were falling apart, holes large enough for an angry badger to pass through, but not for a panicked horse. The doors were falling off their hinges, letting in the cold night air, and the smell was absolutely noxious. She sucked in a deep breath and walked through the broken door frame and into the stable, where three stalls sat on either side of the hallway. In the back was an empty space where one might pile hay or stock horse shoes and saddles.
"Hey, look who decided to show up." a tired voice with a deep Boston accent rang out. Caroline smiled. "Morning, Fracture. I thought I might get an early start on mucking out the stalls." The old horse clopped over to the closed door of his stall. "You got the goods you promised, Cupcake?" he asked. Caroline nodded and reached into her sweatshirt pocket to pull out a bag of sugar cubes she stole from the Hangout of Awesomeness. She scooped out a handful of sugar cubes and held them out for the broken horse, who took them greatfully. "Delicious." Fracture sighed. Caroline's smile broadened. "I'll hand out more once I've cleaned this place up a bit." she said as she put the sugar cubes in her sweatshirt pocket and slipped the article of clothing off to reveal a white tank top. She hung the sweatshirt in one of the rafters and grabbed a rusty shovel that lay off a wall.
"Need any help?" a voice asked her. Caroline jerked her head up to see Micheal leaning in the doorway. "How did you find me?" Caroline asked him, holding out the shovel like a weapon, just in case. Micheal smiled and walked up to her. "It's hard to escape the vision of a hawk," he chuckled. "So, what're you doing?" Caroline thought it over. On one hand, he could help shorten the workload ten fold. On the other, he could easily hurt her, though she saw nothing to indicate so. "I made a deal with these horses last challenge. Since they helped us win, I'm gonna nurse them back to health. Poor things need it." she told him, gesturing to the six horses in the stables.
"I'll say," Micheal said as he grabbed a pitchfork and swung it over a shoulder. "I'll shovel out hay. You gonna shovel out dung?" Caroline nodded as she opened the door to Fracture's stall and led the horse outside. She quickly let the other horses lose outside, where they could graze and run around like they should be. The two teens then set to work, with Micheal shoveling the stale and rancid hay into a pile while Caroline scooped waste into another to be taken care of later. "So, how are you getting getting along with your new team?" Caroline asked Micheal as she scooped up a large pile of unrecognizable brown stuff. Micheal shrugged his shoulders as he tossed hay over his shoulder. "Eh, they're okay. Mortisha kept us up all last night, though."
Caroline sighed. "I know. She gave me nightmares the first week she was here, constantly cackling in our cave. What'd she do?"
"She made me and Toni howl at the moon with her. Unfortunately, the Animatrix turned me into a tiger instead of a wolf. I don't know what's wrong with this thing. It's been acting up lately." Micheal said.
"What's wrong with it? If you ask me, you got something cool on your wrist." Caroline grinned.
Micheal smiled back. "Yeah, it's pretty awesome. It just keeps turning me into the wrong thing. And my transformations don't last as long as before." he sighed, and went back to dredging hay. Caroline then felt sympathy for the boy shoveling muck next to her. The one thing that made him special was on the fritz. What might happen if it was destroyed forever?
"So, what's it like to be a super hero?" Caroline asked him as they moved onto the next stall. She could hear the steady thumping of horse hooves outside pounding against the grass and dirt. "I dunno know. Kinda good, kinda bad. I sometimes get cut on some slack if I don't turn in my homework on time. You wouldn't believe how many times I've had to skip out on homework to stop a runaway train or something. And then there's the fact that everyone wants to ride on your back somewhere . . ."
Caroline was about to ask more when a loud whistling sound pierced the air. Before she could even ask what it was, Micheal dropped his pitch fork and dashed out of the stable, without even an explanation. Caroline sighed and went back to slinging poop. "Just when I thought I had a friend . . ." she groaned.
"Knock it off, you BEEP! BEEP!" Zelda yelled as she smacked Alan over the head with a stick. The boy was persistent, and was once again stalking Zelda. She had been taking a morning walk after spending all night working on the prototype Animatrix that Kiko had relentlessly ordered her to create. And while she had rested by a creek that ran through the forest, Alan had appeared out of nowhere and had tried to molest her again, though he had been a bit more reluctant than last time, staying at a safe distance as Zelda defended herself. "C'mon! I just want to talk!" Alan cried as he was bashed over the head by the stick again. Before he could speak again, Zelda grabbed a small whistle that hung on a chain around her neck and blew on it, sending out a shrill whistle into the air. "What does that do?" he asked nervously, backing away from her slowly.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!
Alan gulped and turned around to see a mass of grey charging through the forest at a brisk pace, flattening logs and plants that stood in it's path. It enormous, with wide sides and a box shaped head with short, powerful legs connected to a hulking bulk. Two sharp horns sprouted up from the creature's face. Alan screamed and scrambled to his feet, just as the rhinoceros hit him full force, twisting its head up and sending him across the creek and into a tree. Cries of pain could be heard as he tumbled down and landed in a large thorn patch at the bottom of the tree.
Zelda sighed with relief and turned away from Alan to watch the rhinoceros vanish in a red light to reveal Micheal with a smirk on his face. "He'll be feeling that tomorrow," he chuckled. "You okay?" Zelda nodded her head. "I managed to fend him off with a tree branch before you arrived. Thanks for the whistle by the way." Micheal grinned. "Anytime." he said as he walked back the way he came without a word. Zelda smiled and sighed. The Watch Bearing Hero had given Zelda the whistle last night as both a parting gift, and a way to call for help if Alan tried anymore tricks again.
Confessional
"I'm lucky to have Micheal as a friend," Zelda said with a big smile. "Always loyal and friendly. At least, to those who don't grind his nerves. I just wish I didn't have to keeping lying to him about the Animatrix project I've been working on. He's gonna be freakin' BEEP! when he finds out."
Change Confessional
"ARGH! Again!" Alan roared as he pulled out another thorn that was embedded in his butt. "Once again, that Watch Wearing Jerk keeps me from being with my girl! Ergh! I need someway to get rid of him. I can't eliminate him; he's far too useful and popular with his team, and I can't even lay a finger on him without getting maimed." Alan whined until a thought occurred to him. "Maybe it's time I cashed in on that deal I made with Maurananei." he chuckled, rubbing his hands mischievously until he hissed in pain, pulling out yet, another thorn from his palm.
End Confessional
Zelda sighed. The guilt was slowly eating away at her, faster than Chef's gumbo. Kiko had made her spend the better part of the night working on the alien watch. Her fingers were cramping up after attaching and inserting wires and tubes, her mind incredibly sore from calculating equations and statistics in her head. She had finally managed to (hopefully) get the prototype working around 2:00 in the morning and slept four hours of restless sleep on the cold, cave floor. She could barely keep her eyes open as she sighed once more and lay down on the rock, hoping to catch some Zs before the challenge would begin.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Apparently she wasn't going to get anymore sleep. She groaned and sat up on her rock, wincing and covering her ears as the shrill squeaking of the loud speakers rang across the island. "Arrr, mateys! Get the anchors out of yer pants and meet me at the docks in five minutes, ye landlubbers!" Chris yelled out in a horrible pirate imitation. Kiko moaned and got up from her rock, shuffling towards the docks like a rotting zombie.
By the time she got there, everyone else was already waiting for her, Kiko (among others) tapping her foot impatiently on the decaying dock. Zelda yawned and staggered over to the young woman, exhausted. "Where were you?" Kiko hissed. Zelda yawned again. "Out for a walk. I finished the watch, if that's what you're wondering. We can begin testing after the challenge." she said. Kiko frowned. "But I want to try it now!" she whined, similar to the way a bratty baby might do if they were denied a cookie. Zelda rolled her eyes. "Look, would you rather be stuck as some hideous freak with no way to change back?" she asked. Kiko sighed. "No. But I want it done soon."
"Fine. Whatever." Zelda yawned as Chris walked up onto the dock. The host was dressed in a frilly, white pirate shirt under a black vest. A red sash was wrapped around his waist, with black captain boots on his feet and a black captain's hat with a skull and crossbones. A plastic parrot sat on his shoulder as he flashed his famous smile to the camera, drawing shivers out of the contestants. "Today's challenge be pirate themed, me hearties!" Chris said.
"Are you just taking worn out ideas from last seasons, or have you just run out of good ideas?" Micheal asked with a frown, drawing several chuckles from the cast. Chris frowned and pulled out a walkie talkie. "Chef! I need a cannonball about 10 degrees North, 21 ft high." he said into the device. A dull boom sounded off in the distance, and a few seconds later, a large cannonball soared through the air and toward the cast, hitting Micheal square in the gut, sending him to the dock and knocking the air out of him.
"Touche." he groaned from the pier as the cannonball rolled off his stomach and into the lake.
"Now then, is there anything else anyone would like to add?" Chris added with a look. Everyone shook their heads as Micheal staggered to his feet. "Any-who, today you'll be searching for the pieces to a couple of pirate ships, of which you will then assemble. There are six pieces to each ship. Each piece is stamped with that team's symbol, so as not to get mixed up. The first team to find all their pieces, get them back to the beach and assemble them will win a leg up in the next challenge. Are there any questions?" Chris asked. Everybody raised their hands, but as usual Chris ignored them. "No? Alright! GO!" Chris yelled, sounding off his air horn and sending the team's scattering.
"Lets split up into teams of two. That way we'll be able cover more ground." Trey suggested as they ran through the forest. Everyone quickly agreed and separated, Anuok and Toni going off in one direction, Trey and Mortisha in another, and Micheal and Reese (who still strapped into a wheelchair) went off into another. "Any ideas about where we should look, Anuok?" Toni asked the silent girl. Anuok held up a finger and closed her eyes for a moment before pointing North, toward the mountains. Toni looked at the steep cliffs and cursed under he breath. "I think I've got something to help. Give me a sec." she said as she concentrated on an image in her head. The changes began quickly.
Her pupils were the first to change, becoming golden brown in color. Bony knobs appeared on the sides of her head as thin hairs began to sprout all over her body, making her look like she was wearing a gorilla suit. Her face bulged forward into a wet muzzle as he teeth became flat, perfect for chewing tough plants. His fingers were sucked into her hands, leaving only the finger nails. They quickly fused together into a hard covering that covered her knuckles. The same thing happened to her feet as another wave of hair sprouted from her body. Her shoulders swelled as muscles packed themselves on, the bony knobs on her head becoming longer and curving upward, ending in a sharp point as the final of movement of long, shaggy hair covered her six ft tall frame. The final part was a short, furry tail popping out of the end of her spine, completing the large yak that stood before Anuok. The bovid knelt to the ground and gestured with her head for Anuok to climb on her back. The animal snorted and took off at a slow pace through the ever fading woods toward the mountains, Anuok hanging onto tufts of fur as they traveled.
"Lets split up into one person teams," Kiko suggested. "That way, we'll find what we need faster."
"Are you kidding me? This island is a death trap!" Maurananei argued. "We need to at least go in pairs!"
"Why should I listen to you? All you ever do is try to impress Chef!" Kiko shot back. "And besides, I'm the adult here, so you all have to listen to me!"
The rest of the Eagles protested, but Kiko stood firmly. She was the one with more life experience in the game, therefore she should be in charge! Eventually, she had them all set off in their own directions, Caroline toward the mountains, Maurananei the beach, Mitchell the swamp, Alan the East part of the forest, Zelda the West, with Kiko scouting the area that passed as a kitchen/eating area. Kiko gave a smirk. As if there was anything in the kitchen area to look for. She had craftily tricked her team mates into doing the work for her, and all she had to do was kick back and relax. "Now I can try out that watch Zelda was telling me about." she said to herself as she tip toed into the woods.
Meanwhile, Alan had been 'searching' for any of the ship pieces. At least, if anyone asked him that was what they were doing. In reality, he was silently heading toward the beach where he could easily find Maurananei. It was time to put his plan into action. He found the girl sitting sullenly on a rock, drawing something in the sand with a stick. "Hey, Maurananei!" Alan shouted. The girl jolted up and held her stick in a threatening manner before she realized who it was. "Oh. It's you." she huffed as she sat back down the rock with a sigh.
"What's wrong?" he asked as he walked over to her to see her sketch of Chef in the sand. While he hated to admit it, she had some good drawing skills. Maurananei sighed. "I just can't get close to my Chefy Wefy. He always runs, and Chris is doing everything in his power to keep me away from him. Which is a lot of power." she said with a pout. Alan sat down on the rock next to her with a sly smile on his face. "I've got a proposition for you. Do you want to hear it?" he asked.
"Does it get me my Chefy Wefy?" Maurananei asked in a sad tone. Alan smiled mischievously. "Actually, yes. It does." he said. Maurananei immediately perked up after hearing that. Alan continued once he was sure he had her full attention. "As you may have noticed, I'm trying to get close to Zelda," "Pft. Good luck with that, Romeo." Maurananei interrupted. Alan frowned but continued along. "As you may have also noticed, I can't get anywhere near her without getting mauled by her bodyguard, Micheal."
"How exactly does this get me my Chefy Wefy?" Maurananei asked, edging her stick closer to Alan's throat. The boy gulped, and his Adam's apple slid barely past the sharp end of the twig. "I overheard you saying you needed some help getting back at Chris last challenge, correct?" he asked. Maurananei frowned but nodded her head. "Well, all you have to do it convince Micheal to help you. If Chris were to somehow be unable to host the show, he wouldn't be here to protect Chef from you. And while you two distract him, I can work on Zelda without having to worry about Micheal. Understand?" Alan asked. Maurananei lowered the stick and thought it over. One of her team mates was offering a deal that could get her together with the love of her life, as well as his. Could this plan blow up in her face? Absolutely.
"What happens if I decide not to go along with your plan?" she asked, raising her stick again. Alan smirked. He had her right where he wanted her. "I'm pretty sure you remember the events of the hunting challenge, correct? Lets just say I saw you and your new boyfriend have a make out session." he said with a sly smile. Maurananei stopped cold, and her expression turned to something similar to a volcano blowing up. But, she knew there was nothing she could do about it. He had made an offer she couldn't simply refuse, even if she wanted too.
Confessional
"Do I trust him? No." Maurananei growled. "Do I like his plan? Yes. If it gets me together with Chefy Wefy, I'm all game. And the other factor he threw in sealed the deal." she said with displeasure. "Stupid little BEEP!
End Confessional
"Deal." Maurananei said, taking Alan's hand and shaking it. Alan grinned. "Pleasure doing business with you." Maurananei gritted her teeth and smacked him over the head with the stick, heading off into the woods to put the plan into motion. Alan couldn't stop smiling. Everything was coming together.
"Do ya see anything yet, Reese?" Micheal asked the small boy. Reese shook his head. "Nope. Sorry." Micheal sighed and pushed the wheelchair forward, cursing when the front wheel got stuck against another root. He sighed and pulled the chair back and pushed it forward again, Reese's brown hair bouncing up as he rolled over the root. "Sorry I'm not much use," Reese sighed.
"Ah, don't worry about it. I've met people who've been in much worse situations than you've been." Micheal told him. "I sometimes work with the disabled kids in my school. They're always a hoot to be around with." he laughed. Reese smiled when something caught his eye. Hidden under a large thorn bush was a large steering wheel bronze spokes and handles on a round wooden frame. "I found one!" he exclaimed. Micheal rushed over to the thorn bush and, after much cursing, dug the wheel out. "Yes!" he cried in triumph. "It's ours!" he yelled, pointing a sticker of a purple rhino snorting angrily as it pawed the ground. Reese cheered as Micheal stuck the steering wheel on the back of the wheelchair, the spokes hanging on the handles. They moved on, searching for more pieces.
"Soo, Reese? How do ya like the island so far?" Micheal asked, trying to make conversation to end the silence. Reese shrugged as best as he could. "I don't know. I've made some pretty cool friends like you and Anuok, so that helps a little. I just, I don't know, feel useless sometimes." he sighed. "You've got that cool watch on your wrist, Zelda is super smart, Anuok can read the future, Toni can change into animals, Caroline can talk to animals, Mitchell can control fire, Mortisha's immune to pain, Trey has a super powered guitar, and Maurananei can break every bone in your body before you even realize it," he listed off. "I just feel a little pathetic and useless around everybody. I'm the only normal one here." he said with another heavy sigh.
"Don't feel bad, dude." Micheal said with a little cheer. "Just because we're all freaks doesn't mean your alone. I mean seriously, just because I can change into weird creatures doesn't mean I don't like to play video games like a normal dude. Just because Trey has a super powered guitar doesn't mean he wants to play normal music. And just because Caroline can talk to animals doesn't mean she wants to talk to other people. You see what I'm getting at here?" he asked. Reese nodded his head. "Thanks. I needed that." he said with a grin. "And I'm pretty sure you need some ice after you took that cannonball to the gut. Micheal laughed. "Shut up," he said lightly as he pushed them towards the mountains.
"Found one!" Mortisha said with excitement. She had Trey had decided to search on the other side of the island, with Mortisha swinging from tree to tree like an excited monkey while Trey remained on the ground. "Finally." the musician sighed. "Where is it?" he called up. Mortisha swung up to the highest branch of a pine tree and took a look at where she had last seen the piece they were looking for. "On the beach stuck between some boulders!" he yelled down after a few moments. Trey set off for the beach at a jog, pumping arms as his bass slapped against his back. He stumbled down a steep incline before it smoothed out onto crystal clear sand. He skidded to a stop after a dozen yards to see what looked like the hull of a ship stuck fast between some large rocks that looked as if they had been there for ages. He quickly pulled out his guitar and was about to let out another sonic howl to shatter thr rocks when Mortisha scurried up to and heaved it over her head with ease. "No worries, Trey! They're plastic! See?" she yelled as she easily chucked her boulder into the lake and watched it float away. Trey pouted and put his guitar away as Mortisha disposed of the other slab.
Confessional
"Normally, I would say that everything can except homework can be solved with a sonic blast," Trey said with a heavy sigh. "Oh, well. I can try in the next part of the challenge."
End Confessional
Anuok sucked in another deep breath as she rode up the mountain. The air was surprisingly thin up there, and made the silent girl more than just dizzy. Toni in her yak form however, didn't seem to mind at all as she trudged up the cliff with ease. The trees had long since thinned out and looked like a shaggy green carpet down below them. The lake was just a little ways away from the forest with a thin strip of white sand separating them. Anuok sucked in another breath and realized Toni had stopped, jerking towards something with a horn. Anuok followed her point to see a large, thick pole with a thinner one nailed up towards the top. A large white cloth bound with ropes hung from the small of the poles, and a bucket big enough for a person to sit inside was staked to the top. Anuok pumped a fist and jumped off the yak's back and ran over to what looked like a ship's mast. She quickly checked for the Rhino's symbol and found it stuck to the sail. She found a coil of rope that Chris had been kind enough to leave behind and tied both ends to the smaller pole, looping the rest of the rope around Toni's horns and neck. Anuok then jumped back on the yak and urged her down the mountain, dragging the mast at a slow pace. The large piece of equipment knocked loose some boulders that tumbled down the side of the cliff, but both of the cast mates ignored it. After all, what were the odds of someone else being on the same mountain as them?
Caroline heaved another sigh as she trudged along the cliff side in the hopes of discovering a piece of her team's ship. So far, no such luck. Once again, she had been ditched to be left alone by those around her. While Micheal was a good friend, and Maurananei and been supporting her every step of the way like a big sister, she still felt lonely. She glumly kicked a pebble aside and watched it tumble down the mountain side. A sudden noise caught her attention and she glanced up to see approximately two tons of rock falling right toward her! "AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" she cried as she instinctively crouched down and covered her head. She expected the rocks to pulverize her brittle body to dust when she felt something heavy slam into her, taking both of them over the side of the cliff as the rubble tumbled after them. Caroline was screaming at the top of her lungs as she and the mysterious person were sent into a free fall. The air was knocked out of her as she felt a sudden jolt, with the world shaking around her. She squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the incident to end when everything fell silent. For a moment she did nothing until she cracked open an eye. Wherever she was, it was dark. Not dark enough to be pitch black, but dark enough that she trouble seeing around her. What she could see was a wall of dark green on all sides, with a hard, hollow plating beneath her knees. Her breathing was heavy as she tried to figure out where she was when she felt the leathery walls above her move, folding up and down to release her. She blinked for a moment as the sunlight blinded her for a brief moment. Then she gasped.
She was lying on the stomach of a large animal bearing great resemblance to a giant turtle. Eight large holes were lay on the outer ring of the creature's shell, and Caroline panicked before she realized that they weren't injuries. Two large flippers nearly as tall at the creature itself lay splayed out on either side of the body. Two stumpy legs with three claws were stuck near the bottom of the shell with dull brown spots on the knees and flippers. The head of the animal was seemingly jammed inside the shell without any sign of it coming out. The creature's eyes were half open as a low groaned escaped it's beak-like mouth. "Uuuuuugh. That normally doesn't hurt so much." he croaked. Caroline gasped when she saw the fanged symbol on the being's chest. "Micheal!" she cried.
The turtle, Micheal, waved a flipper. "Ahh, don't worry about me. I've been through worse." he mumbled half awake. He planted his flippers on the pile of rocks beneath and tried to pull himself up, wincing as he sat up. "Ahh, scratch that last statement." he moaned. "I think my shell's cracked. You mind taking a look?" he asked her. Caroline jerked her head, worry in her eyes as she crawled off of Micheal's stomach and around to his domed back. She winced as she saw the deep cracks in the creature's shell. "Yeah, it's definitely cracked." she said. Micheal sighed. "I was afraid of that. Looks like gonna be out for about an hour."
"Doesn't it normally take longer for something like that to heal?" Caroline asked.
"Yeah. Normally. The Animatrix heals these kinds of wounds more quickly. If I transform before the injuries healed, I'll just experience some mild swelling and pain in that region. Plus, I'm a Tolkobee. They're fast healers and very durable." Micheal reassured her. "You should probably get back to hunting." he said as he lied down and closed his eyes. Before long he was asleep.
Caroline sighed with relief and stood up, looking back and forth between the towering cliff and the dozing creature. She quickly made a choice and bent down to the creature's face and gave a light kiss to his forehead before running off into the woods, a sense of worry, confusion, and giddiness swirling in her head.
Confessional
"I don't know why I did it," Caroline said with nervousness. "I mean, sure he did save my life, and he is kind of cute. But what would my team think!?" she panicked, practically hyperventilating.
Change Confessional
"Yeah, I saw Caroline kiss Micheal." Reese said with a smirk. "I won't hold her against it though. It's actually kind of cute, her having a crush on him."
End Confessional
Kiko silently stalked through the forest, diving behind bushes and shrubs whenever she thought she heard voices. She knew Zelda would be lurking nearby, searching for a piece of their ship, so that she had to be careful. If the girl ever figured out what she was attempting, she might cut the project all together and leave the young woman without an advantage whatsoever. After what seemed like agonizing hours, she finally reached the cave her team mates had slept in the night before. She dove into the cavern and immediately set for a pile of rocks. She quickly removed them to reveal a sturdy wooden crate turned over so the open top was face down, protecting the contents inside. Kiko lifted the crate and set it down quietly as she looked at the object lying on the stone floor.
It was bulky instead of small and smooth like Micheal's Animatrix. Then again, it was a prototype, and Zelda hadn't yet designed it for style, just for purpose. The main color scheme was purple in contrast to Micheal's red, with the same fanged image on the face of the watch. Little lights blinked along the thick wrist band as Kiko picked it up and looked it over. After she didn't find any kind of security measure on it, she slipped the loose watch onto her left wrist and yelped in surprise when it moved like liquid steel to fit itself accordingly to her wrist, shrinking in size to fit perfectly. Kiko grinned and tapped the watch face, the familiar looking hologram popping up to meet her. She cycled through the list, excited at the many transformations she could possibly try out, but was disappointed when she discovered it had no more than five available transformations. "Note to self: gather more samples." she said to herself as she rolled over the silhouette of a proud eagle and elegant giraffe for the eighth time. She finally settled on the image of a growling bear, deciding to go with the fiercest animal in the arsenal. She tapped the image and the activation button came up as the face plate slid back.
She pressed the button and was engulfed in a purple light.
And then she screamed.
"If I were a piece of a pirate ship, where would I hide?" Mitchell wondered aloud to himself. He tried to ignore the squishy feeling between his toes as he trudged through the swamp, the mud sucking at his feet. He had long sense lost his shoes to the muck under the swamp, and his pants and shirt was covered in mud and slime. He thought about flying over the swamp on jets of flame, by the high amount of methane in the air made that idea too risky. So he had had to settle for walking and wading through the brackish waters of the marsh, the mosquitoes eating him alive as he searched.
"Agh! Stupid bugs!" he yelled, slapping his face in an attempt to swat away a mosquito. A sudden growling noise sounded to his left and Mitchell turned to see something dive below the surface. He now took more cautious steps, certain that he was being hunted by something that had most likely been set by Chris. He was so busy watching his back that he didn't even notice a large cannon until the barrel hit him straight in the gut. As he gasped, trying to suck air back into his lungs, another growl sounded, this time to his right. And then in front of him. And then behind him. And he soon found out what was making the noises.
Rising out of the water in a perfect circle around him and the cannon were at least a dozen alligators, all looking exceptionally hungry and nasty today. Several licked their chops as they imagined dining on the small boy in front of them as he lit a hand ablaze. With any luck they would be eating their dinner cooked for once. Mitchell, not one to actually want to be eaten by alligators, decided to forgo the warning he had told himself and let a ball of fire form in his hand. He slung in angrily at an alligator, hitting it square in the face and sending it crashing through a mangrove tree. One down, eleven to go. Then, as one, the alligators attacked! Their jaws snapping shut like bear traps, they rushed him, their reptilian bodies churning the murky water of the swamp in froth as they lunged at Mitchell, pulling him under the water. Bubbles floated to the surface as one, two alligators were set back, but Mitchell did not surface. Another alligator was sent through a row of mangrove of trees and out of the fight, but Mitchell still hadn't risen, and the bubbles were becoming less and less frequent until they stopped all together.
Alan dove behind a bush. He sniffed the air, and a smile crept across his face; he could smell her. For the past half hour he had been stalking her through the woods like a predator, staying just out of sight as she walked through the forest, completely oblivious to him. No matter how fast she turned around, he was dive into the brush, out of sight. Smiling, he took a peek out from behind the bush and nearly had a heart attack when he couldn't fin her anywhere. Hoe she disappear so fast? he thought to himself. He suddenly heard a loud rustling in the trees above him and he glanced up just in time to be nailed in the face by a familiar pink boot that shoved his head into the dirt, the smell of rotting leaves and wood overwhelming his senses. "Alan." an angry feminine voice hissed. The boot was reluctantly removed, but he could feel something pressing firmly against the area where his head and neck met. "Get up with your hands on your head if you want to live." the voice commanded.
Alan pulled himself up off the forest floor and quickly put both hands on his head before Zelda could jab the end of her bo staff into his spine, doing everything from mild pain to possible paralysis. "Why were you stalking me?" Zelda asked, keeping her bo staff drawn on him. Alan had to admit, as much as he was terrified right now, she looked absolutely beautiful when she angry. The way her eyebrows pointed down, her lips curving downward, and the way her left eye twitched when she was furious was somehow endearing to him. Zelda growled and moved the tip of her bo staff to his throat, just an inch away from his Adam's apple. "I won't repeat myself again; why were you stalking me?" she hissed venomously.
"What, I can't talk to the most beautiful and intelligent girl in the world?" he asked, throwing her a stunning smile. Zelda blinked once in surprise before drawing the long stick on him again. "Your words won't work on me." she growled. Alan smiled again; he had seen her weaken, even if only for the briefest of moments. This girl's weakness was flattery about everything from her gorgeous looks to her massive brain. While Alan didn't exactly care too much about the brain part, he was more than happy to compliment on her looks. He calmly took his hands off his head and set them on the bo staff, pulling it down and away from serious injury. Zelda quickly jabbed it back to him, stabbing him in his jewels and whacked him over the head with the stick. Alan fell to the ground clutching his coconuts in pain as his vision swam before his eyes. "As much as I appreciate the flattery, I'm not looking for a relationship with the likes of you." she spat, literally spitting on him in the face. "But since you amuse me for the moment, take this as a token of my appreciation." she said in a pitied tone. She disappeared from Alan's vision, and for a moment he thought she had left him to suffer. He needn't worry as she came back hauling a ship's steering wheel with a bronze eagle in the middle. "That way you won't seem completely useless." she said with a wicked smile. "Good Luck." she simply said before leaping straight up into the nearest pine tree and hopping away.
"I swear, I will have you one day, Zelda." Alan moaned as the pain from her last attack over came him, sending him into oblivion.
"How many more pieces do we have to find?" Trey huffed. After what seemed hours, he and Mortisha had managed to haul the ship's bow to the beach where both Chris and Chef were relaxing in lawn chairs, enjoying the warm rays of the sun while the contestants slaved away. A sweating intern panted nearby, fanning the pair furiously with a large, feathered fan. At the snap of Chris's finger, he fanned faster and faster until he suddenly passed out from lack of oxygen. Seconds later, another intern came to take his place as two more internes carried their fallen comrade away.
"I think we have about five more left." Mortisha said, drawing the hood of her cloak over her head. She didn't mind the sun all that much. In someways, it was nice. It certainly helped when you were trying to fry yourself to a crisp with a giant magnifying glass. But she mostly preferred the night, with's lulling moonlight and cool breeze. She went so far as to even get a "moon tan", which explained her pale exterior. And because of that, the sunlight could be sometimes painful, even to her. Trey ignored the movement as Anuok came trudging out of the woods on the back of a sweating yak. Hooked to the yak's horns and neck was a large mizzen mast with the sails rolled up. The yak trudged a few more feet onto the beach and collapsed to the ground next to the ship's haul. Anuok hopped off Toni's back and untied the ropes. Already, the thick coat of fur and hair was disappearing as a human girl began to emerge from within the large beast. A couple minutes later, a panting and dehydrated Toni was kneeling in the sand, fanning herself desperately with her hands. "Scratch that. We have four more to find." Mortisha corrected herself. "We'll go look in the swamp, while you guys check the forest again." she said to Trey and then Anuok and Toni. "And see if we can find Micheal and Reese too."
"Get up."
Micheal groaned and cracked open an eye to see a tempered Maurananei standing over him with both hands on her hips and a ticked expression on her face. The creature sighed and hauled himself up onto his stubby legs, standing a good four feet taller than Maurananei. He reached with a flipper for the Animatrix, but Maurananei stopped with a raised hand. "I understand you're injured, so I'll allow you to remain in that form of yours." she said in a commanding. Micheal rolled his eyes. "You'll allow me? Oh, thank you, your highness." he said with as much sarcasm as possible. Maurananei ignored the comment and continued. "I have need of your services." she told him.
"I'm listening." Micheal said after a few moments. Maurananei continued on.
"I want to get back at Chris, and I'm pretty sure you do too. I need your help to get into his cottage and help me trash the place." Maurananei said.
"Why do you need me?" Micheal asked, folding his large flippers over his carapace. "And I thought he called it a mansion?"
"No one owns a cottage that big," Maurananei told him. "And the reason I need you is you can make it look like we were never there. Turn into a bear or something and make it look like a whole bunch of Chirs's twisted animal bots went rogue."
The large turtle smiled a mischievous grin. "I like the way you think. We just need to drop Reese off at the beach before we can go. Climb on." he said, turning around and gesturing with a flipper to his large, domed shell. Maurananei gave him a confused look. "Um, don;t you want to change into something faster?" she asked. The large being just smiled. "Trust me. Also, I'm gonna have to borrow your belt."
"Why!?"
"It makes travel a little easier when you have something to hang on to." Micheal explained.
Maurananei gave him a confused look, but climbed onto the large shell anyway as Micheal looped the belt through the middle of holes in his chest. They then proceeded to waddle, swinging from side to side, up a small hill and turn a sharp right up onto the cliff, where a dozing Reese could be seen in his wheelchair. Micheal held a flipper up his mouth, indicating silence. He then tiptoed over the small boy as best as he could and strapped both ends of the belt together around Reese's chest and under his arms, to provide extra security. "I still don't see how this is gonna work." Maurananei hissed in Micheal's ear hole. The giant turtle smiled. "You've obviously never met a Tolkobee, have you?"
Maurananei was about to argue that no body had ever met a Tolkobee before when something completely bizarre happened. Micheal gave a small jump into the air, quickly splaying his large flippers out on either side of him. His legs miraculously melded together into a third flipper, directly underneath his head. Before they fell back to the ground, Micheal began to spin his slippers, as if they were all joined on single circular disk inside of his shell. The flippers rotated like a helicopter's blades, lifting the large animal and its passengers off the ground by a few feet. Maurananei's jaw was agape as the flippers spun faster and faster as they rose higher and higher into the air until they were over the height of the tallest trees. Maurananei held her breath as the Tolkobee angled slightly downward, and they instantly zoomed in that direction, towards the beach. Reese dangled below, asleep, with the ship's steering wheel firmly locked onto his wheelchair. The thin strip of white that could only be the beach became bigger until they were directly over, a small pair of multicolored dots standing next to a large pile of wood. Micheal slowed the spinning of his fins, letting them lazily descend toward the beach, the two dots glancing up and jumping back in surprise at their sudden appearance. Maurananei ducked behind the shell, forcing herself to stay hidden as they came with at least seven feet of landing distance. Reese's wheelchair gently touched the ground, jolting him awake. "What's going on?" he asked groggily. Trey merely pointed up, too stunned for words as the Tolkobee hovered over them. Reese blinked and rubbed his eyes, unsure if they were playing tricks on him or not.
"Special delivery!" Micheal called down. He quickly angled one of his flippers so that it quickly cut the leather belt that held Reese to him, causing minor turbulence on Maurananei's part. The rest of the belt dropped harmlessly to the beach as Reese continued to gawk at him. "I'll be right back," he called down. "Reese, if you could start to figure out how these pieces go together?" he asked politely. Reese just nodded his head as Micheal turned around in place and flew off back to the forest, as if nothing had ever happened.
Kiko was breathing heavily, her labored breath echoing against the dank cave walls.
This wasn't supposed to happen, this wasn't supposed to happen,she thought to herself. She was having something to a mental breakdown. Something horrible had happened to her, and for once in her life she had something to do with it. I guess that's not entirely true, she thought with a frown. Zelda could have hidden the watch better from me. Then I wouldn't have been tempted to try it out in the first place. Deep down however, she knew she was wrong. Zelda had clearly told her that the watch needed testing, and what did she do? She went and tried it without the pink genius there to help her. She had gotten herself into this mess. She had done this to herself.
With a heavy sigh, Kiko slid down the clammy cave walls and rested her head on her knees, her arms wrapped around her head. Well, that wasn't entirely true; she still had one functioning arm, but due to her carelessness she had lost the other. It was instead a long, pinkish colored, octopus tentacle dripping wet sea slime from its suckers. The appendage was longer than Kiko's right arm, twisting and curving every now and then without Kiko's consensus. The prototype Animatrix had transformed only one part of her beautiful body, now turning her into a freak. She was pretty sure the watch had done other things to her as well; her skin was itchy, and whenever she scratched at it, little bits that looked like scales fell off; She found herself breathing through both her nose and something that had grown out of her neck, something that felt like a pair of gills; Her back itched terribly, and there was a dull pain as something smooth and pointed was mushed against the rock face behind her; Her eyes felt horribly itchy and irritable and she found she couldn't see very well for that matter, everything looking like one big blur; Kiko was sure her hair was having a wrestling match with itself, and she soon confirmed this when a pool of sea slime dripped down her face and onto the sea floor, the sound echoing through the cave.
Kiko then suddenly sat up. She hadn't realized how hot it was becoming, and the air felt thick and desolate, devoid of any moisture. Why did she care about moisture anyway? What was happening to her? Kiko didn't know and didn't care. What she did know was that she needed to find some water. Fast. She quickly stumbled to her feet, and nearly fainted when she suddenly felt a large, jointed crab leg split out of her right hip, reaching down the entire length of her now barnacle encrusted leg. "Oh, God, what's happening to me?" she wondered to herself as she staggered out of the cave and headed due West where she knew there was a river. She quickly found it and and knelt down, scooping some of the water out with her single hand and splashing it over her face. It felt good, cool and wet. She suddenly found she breath better than had moments before. But that quickly faded. She needed more water, now!
Seeing no other choice, she slipped into the river with a loud splash and let the current carry her down stream as water flowed through her gills. Sighing, she let the cold, refreshing water consume her and fell into a deep sleep as the current carried her out to the lake.
Maurananei could see for miles from where she was on Micheal's back. She hadn't exactly been too happy when Micheal ruined her belt, but the fantastic view more than made up for it. The proud pine trees just looked like little spikes on a large green mat, the tops of oak and birch trees looking more round green marbles. She glanced down into a clearing at the base of one of the mountains to see Caroline struggling to push what looked like the stern of a small ship, a deep gouge in the dirt about half a dozen feet long behind her. Poor kid, she thought to herself. Once she was done with the mansion, she would have to ask Micheal for a lift back to help Caroline. They continued over the island, swooping low over a swamp to see Mitchell dragging a moss covered cannon with him, making much better progress than Caroline despite the terrain and several chard alligators that floated in the muck. Just on the edges of the swamp, she could see an unconscious Alan with a ship's steering wheel lying on the ground next to him. Maurananei would have yelled down at him to get the anchors out of his pants and get moving, but it looked like he had been attacked violently. She decided to cut him a little slack.
Maurananei spotted Zelda high up in a spruce tree, oblivious to them as she scoured the island for more ship pieces. They swept over Anuok and a large grizzly bear as they were trying to haul back the mighty stern of another ship and Trey and Mortisha as they jogged through the woods back towards the swamp. They soon were over Chris's freshly built estate, constructed on a lone island that was close to the larger one, connected by a long wooden bridge. They landed next to the front door, Micheal tapping the Animatrix symbol as Maurananei climbed off. "Sooo, we just go to town?" Micheal asked as Maurananei grabbed hold of a decorative lamp post and ripped it out of the ground, holding it like a giant baseball bat.
"Lets get our destruction on!" she cackled.
"I think that just about does it." Maurananei said as she tossed her mangled lamp post aside. The mansion (cottage?) was a wreck, to put it lightly. Two massive holes in the North and South ends of the mansion were created by a rhinoceros that was currently shoving Chris's Egyptian cotton sheet bed into the lake. The furniture, everything from the plush cushion couches and velvet chairs to the priceless vases and statues was destroyed, smashed and broken to bits. The paintings that depicted Chris as hundreds of famous heroes were torn to shreds. There were several Maurananei shaped holes in the walls, and the bathroom and kitchen sinks were spewing forth gallons of water. A rhino wearing a large, thick red collar around its neck stomped down the stairs to the bottom floor, taking out the shiny, bronze banister with a twist of its head. The animal snorted and shoved its way past Maurananei and through the front door, ripping the frame out from the wall (they had originally come in through another hole in the wall, not bothering to use the front door). A bright flash followed, and Maurananei briefly saw the returning shape of Micheal before he changed form again, turning into small hare that bounded away as soon as the red light faded. Maurananei sighed. Looked like she was going to have to walk back.
"And it looks like the Rhinos have things just about wrapped up!" Chris announced with fake glee. Reese had long since figured out how to assemble the pieces, and once the other returned, everything would be smooth sailing, provided they didn't lose the last challenge. Meanwhile, Mitchell had dragged the rusted cannon all the way to beach and was currently dressing several nasty bites all over his body. Maurananei and Caroline were just on the edges of the beach, pushing the piece of ship stern toward the their small pile as Alan staggered out of the woods with the captain's wheel in his shaky hands. "C'mon! Hurry up!" Maurananei yelled as a large ship's bow came skidding out of the woods, plowing its way through the dirt and sand. Zelda appeared behind it and gave it a round house kick, sending it skidding it to where Mitchell was resting. She then jogged over and motioned for Maurananei and Caroline to hurry up. Maurananei gritted her teeth and gave the stern of the ship a big shove, pushing it several feet and causing Caroline to lose her balance and fall on her face. Maurananei ignored her and pushed the stern towards the bow of the ship, a surprisingly audible click sounding off as the two pieces connected. Mitchell staggered to his feet and lugged the cannon over to the ship, Maurananei stealing it from his grasp and tossing it up onto the deck with a loud bang!
The ground started to shiver and quake, and everyone turned to see a pair of elephants, one a large African Bull wearing a thick red collar, and a smaller Asian Cow. Anuok, her knuckles turning white, clung onto the wiry hairs of the Asian tusker, a thick rope around each of the animal's necks. Behind them, shoving trees and brush aside as they were dragged along, was the stern of a wooden ship and a large cannon covered in lichen and pine needles. The elephant's trumpeted in unison as the cast, along with Chris and Chef, dove aside to avoid getting trampled. "AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Reese cried as he shield himself with his arms, only to have the two pachyderms skid to a halt just a foot away from him. Anuok hopped down from the Asian elephant and untied the ropes to both the animals as each of them grabbed their luggage in their trunks, hauling it over to the pile with ease. Once Reese was sure he wasn't going to be squished, he quickly began to direct the elephant's movements, guiding the animal's to put the ship together as they were the only ones big enough to do the job. Eventually they had a large wooden ship slightly bigger than both elephants combined. The mast towered over them all as Anuok unfurled the sail from the crows nest. Reese, aboard the ship, gave the cannon a quick shine as Micah blasted the weapon with a jet of water from his trunk, accidentally dousing the crippled boy in the process. As Reese dried himself with his shirt, Anuok slid down the mast like a fireman's pole and handed him her notepad. Reese read it over before handing it back to her.
"According to Anuok, we only have five pieces!" he yelled "We need one more. Has anyone seen Trey and Mortisha?" Micheal rumbled and pointed towards the forest with his trunk. Then he looped the appendage around Reese's wheelchair and lifted it up onto his back, Toni using her trunk to do the same to Anuok. The pair of elephant's then lumbered off into the forest, knocking over several trees in the process, much to Chris's annoyance. "At this rate, we won't have an island to do another season on." he sighed as Chef shook his head with disappointment.
"We just need . . . . . two more pieces." Zelda told her team, pausing to count off on her fingers. "And has anyone seen Kiko anywhere?" The Eagles paused from their work to glance around in search of the young adult. She was no where in sight. "Where is that BEEP!" Maurananei cursed, stomping a foot in frustration. "How are we supposed to win when we're down a player!?" she screamed before an eye occurred to her, glancing at the Rhino's ship. "An idea has just occurred to me." she muttered with a sly smile. "Zelda and Alan search the North side of the island; Caroline, I'll meet you near the creek. Me and Mitchell have some things to take care of." she said, rubbing her hands together manically. Her team mates gave a confused look, but headed off anyways.
"I found the second cannon!" Mortisha cried with glee. Trey staggered up to Mortisha, leaning on her as he gasped for breath. The large, metal weapon sat in the middle of a dark clearing, mossy vines draped over it. "Finally. Now all we have to do is-" Trey started before something leaped out of the trees and landed on the ground with a thud directly between them and the cannon. "Oh, no! Not him! Anyone but him!" Trey wailed as a hungry Fangdroid 2.0 licked its chops. Before Trey and Mortisha could even take a step, the robot's eyes glowed red as metal panels on its skin slid back to reveal blasters that whined as they charged up. A pair of rockets popped out of the shark's back as it's claws popped out just a little, implying they were detachable.
"Okay, that guy is not right in the head!" Trey cried.
"You're talking about Chris, right?" Mortisha asked.
"Do you think I was talking about anybody else!?" Trey cried as a fiery red laser struck the ground at his feet. "Hit the deck!"
Confessional
"Well you don't to be so snappy about it," Mortisha huffed. "I mean, someone else could have built the robot!"
Change Confessional
"It's official: I hate Chris." Trey growled, putting out a tiny flame in his hair as smoke curled off his chard body.
End Confessional
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Trey cried as he dove behind a rock, a red hot laser beam following closely behind him until it turned its attention to Mortisha. The small girl was laughing with glee as jumped forward and bounced off her hands, flipping and twisting in the air as the laser beams fried the air just inches behind her. Fang growled and raised his claw tips, firing them off in trails of smoke after Mortisha. They exploded in the air in clouds of smoke as Mortisha cackled maniacally. "Hit me with your best shot, Fish Breath!" she yelled, prompting the droid to open its mouth and unleash a wave of fire.
Confessional
"FIRE!? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?" Trey screamed.
End Confessional
"Come on, you Tin Can!" Mortisha yelled. "Give me your best shot!" she screamed as she bounced off a tree and aimed a foot at Fang's head. The shark merely grabbed hold of her foot and whirled her around over his head before slamming her against a tree. The small girl groaned and slid down the trunk to the ground, unmoving. The shark then fired a laser at the rock Trey was cowering behind, blowing it to pieces as Trey went flying into the air, landing at the shark's feet. He looked up and smiled nervously as Fang growled, show casing his hundreds of sharp teeth. Trey gulped nervously, slowly reaching for his trusty bass guitar as he crept backwards on his toes and fingers. Fang watched with a steel gaze until Trey was about a yard from him when he sprang up on his feet and belted out a loud note on his guitar, screaming like a banshee as he did. The sound was earth-shattering, blowing back Fang's gums as the metal plating was peeled off of him, revealing his sparking wires and shaking gadgetry. Trees were bent back by the force, their branches ripping free as the Fangbot suddenly exploded, the wires sparking and smoking as the headless droid fell to the ground, lifeless.
"NOOOOO!" Chris's voice wailed over the loud speakers. "Not my baby!"
Trey cracked a smile as he strapped his guitar back to his back and walked up to the cannon, brushing off the vines and moss that covered it. A moan sounded off to his left, and he turned to see Mortisha climb to her faltering feet with a nasty bump the size of a golf ball on her head. She rubbed it sorely and lurched over to Trey with a pained smile on her face. "Nice job, Barney." she said. Trey froze before grabbing his bass guitar and holding it like a club at her. "How do you know about that?" he asked in a threatening manner. Mortisha was unfazed as she answered him. "I dunno. I just kinda figured it out on my own. Your hidden stash of beer was an obvious hint, too." she said with a light laugh. Trey lowered his guitar. "You didn't take any, did you?" he asked with a little concern in his voice. Mortisha cracked another smile and dug into her cloak, pulling out a half empty bottle. Trey's eyes widened as he snatched the bottle from her small hands. "Don't go digging around in my stuff!" he yelled. "Are you even old enough to be drinking!?"
"I'm the same age as you." Mortisha stated with defiance. "And I'll be taking my bottle back, thank you very much." she said, stealing it from Trey's grasp. Before trey could protest, she popped the bottle open and chugged the rest of the liquid down in one gulp before forcing the vial into her mouth and crunching it into dust with one bite. Trey's eye twitched in shock, fear, and annoyance as Mortisha hiccuped and spit out the shards of glass from her mouth, her tongue and gums somehow making it out unscathed. Trey slapped his head and sighed. "Whatever. I better not hear from your parents about this," he growled. Mortisha gave him a thumbs up and the two got behind the cannon and pushed.
Suddenly, the earth shook beneath them as a pair of large elephants crashed through the underbrush, trunks swinging from side to side to clear the vegetation that wasn't crushed under their large feet. Trey and Mortisha fell back as Anuok jumped down from the back of one of the large beast and tied it around the cannon, looping it around the thick neck of her pachyderm. She then jumped back up as Reese motioned for the pair to hop on. Mortisha and Trey shared a look before climbing on, the large African Bull going first to clear yet another path as the Asian Cow lumbered behind him, dragging the cannon with her. The elephants let out a loud trumpet in triumph, they were so close to their goal. Mortisha cheered as leaves slapped at them, Trey deciding to take the time to grab some sleep. Mortisha's howling had kept up all night; it was a wonder he hadn't collapsed from exhaustion. He soon fell asleep, lulled into slumber by the elephant's steady, swaying movements.
Trey was standing in the middle of a large field. The sky was black as the full moon shone in the night. The grass beneath his feet was sparse and dry, barely even alive as a cool breeze below across the plane. A few old, gnarled trees dotted the landscape as a lone wolf howled in the distance. Trey looked around and noticed a crouched figure at the base of a leafless tree, completely still except for the occasional movement of its cloak. Raising an eyebrow, Trey walked over to the figure and knelt down, gently poking the figure in what he assumed to be the shoulder. "Um, hello?" he said quietly. The figure shifted, a feminine voice mumbling a "hello" back. The figure moved again, and the black hood of the cloak drew back to reveal an angel. Trey gasped as her pale, white face glowed in the night, her ruby red lips eyes, her raven black hair shining a little bit in the moonlight. Trey breathed as the figure rose up to her full height, exactly one inch shorter than he was. Before he could resist the figure pulled him in a hug, resting her head against his chest. Trey awkwardly wrapped his arms around her thin waist, actually seemingly to enjoy it a little. Just why did he like it so much? The figure suddenly moved her head back and pecked him on the cheek, causing him to turn red.
"I love you, Barney." the girl said as she rested her head on his chest again.
Trey startled awake, face down in the sand as the world shook around him. He yanked his head out of the ground, spitting out a mouthful of earth to see an angry Asian elephant chasing a terrified Mitchell around the beach as a large African elephant was spraying water from its trunk on a pile of firewood. Wait a minute. Isn't that where our ship was? Trey thought before panic over came him. "NO!" he yelled in frustration as Mitchell dashed by with the enraged elephant close behind and Anuok, Mortisha, and Reese all holding onto the tail in an attempt to slow the beast down with little affect. The cannon sat just to Trey's left as Maurananei walked out of the woods with a large ship's mast over her shoulder and a wicked smile on her face. Caroline hung helplessly from the timber, her entire body a good foot off the ground. Maurananei gave a shake and Caroline fell off as Maurananei walked up the gangplank of their ship and jabbed it into it's hole, the sail unfurling to show a bronze Eagle. Trey sighed and put his face into his hands as Mitchell, Toni the Elephant, and their little friends took another lap around the beach.
"What have I told you about standing too close to me?" Zelda hissed to Alan as they walked through the woods. Alan quickly took a sidestep to his left, unaware he had even been that close to the pink genius. The pair walked along, Zelda throwing glares at him every couple of minutes. Alan studied her for a few moments before sucking in a deep breath. "Why do you hate me so much?" he asked out of the blue. Zelda jerked to a stop and turned to him with a confused look on her face. "What did you say?"
"Why do you hate me?" Alan repeated.
Zelda rolled her eyes. "Oh, no. I don;t hate you at all. I absolutely love it when people decide to come watch me take a shower without any common sense at all." she said with as much sarcasm as she could muster. "So, you don;t hate?" Alan asked, confused.
"OF COURSE I HATE YOU, YOU BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" Zelda roared before something caught her eye, a shining piece of metal hidden in a large shrub. Without another word she ran towards the bush and pulled out another large cannon as Alan sniffed behind her, clearly hurt. Zelda ignored him and pushed the cannon towards the beach, Alan sulking behind her.
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"Okay, I admit I probably went too far with trying to flirt with her," Alan sighed. "But now she completely hates my guts with every fiber of her being. I'll never get her to like em!" he wailed, a small tear leaking down his face.
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"Yes, I hate him," Zelda said with her arms crossed over her chest. "I know he has a huge crush on me and all, but that's not not going to help his case. He ever even wants to earn my trust again, he's gonna have to do something big. Even bigger than the sun's 865,374 mile circumference." she said with a huff.
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The two teens soon returned to the beach, to find a bizarre spectacle: a game of tug o' war between both teams, the Rhinos consisting of Micheal and Toni still in their elephant forms and the Eagles made of Maurananei and Caroline, with Anuok, Mortisha, and a very nervous Reese pulling from the Eagles end. The rope was, unfortunately, of poor Mitchell, and the furious elephant's were slowly winning, despite Caroline trying to convince them to let go.
"Can you do something right for once, and push the cannon over to our ship? Apparently I have to help save Mitchell." she told Alan as she ran off to the group. Alan sullenly nodded and began to push the cannon towards his team's ship, barely making any progress. Zelda ran to the edge of the forest, glancing wildly around before she found what she was looking for. With a long branch, she reached up into the reaches of a large oak tree and slapped something to the ground before jabbing and whacking several times. The object was oval shaped and making a very loud buzzing sound as a cloud of bees flew out and swarmed in the air above Zelda. The girl quickly ran towards the other teens, the angry bees behind her. She quickly ran between the two groups, jumping over a stretched Mitchell. The groups quickly stopped their argument in favor of running away as the bees swarmed over them, the pair of elephants trumpeting in fear and stampeding towards the lake, the tips of their trunks just above the surface as the others dived in and the cloud of angry bees swarmed above.
"And we have a winner!" Chris announced, dressed in a beekeeper suit. Chef stood next to him with an amused expression on his face as the contestants poked their heads above the lake, only to get stung by the aggravated bees. "The Eagles win, thanks to Alan's pitiful amount of strength and Maurananei's suicidal plan!" Chris said with a laugh. "If I were Mitchell, I wouldn't be trusting Maurananei anytime soon." he chuckled as Maurananei threw him one of her famous death looks. "And now . . ." Chris began as he pulled out another one of his many remotes and pressed the big red button on it, and both ships (intact and not) blew up in a fiery explosion!
"I will blow up your ships!" Chris finished as the contestants complained and yelled at him.
"Why'd you make us do all that hard work!?" Reese yelled as Mortisha and Trey swam over to keep his wheelchair from sinking beneath the surface.
"I needed some alone time," Chris said placidly. "Plus, I figured you would much appreciate these!" Chris yelled, pointing behind the contestants. The cast turned in the water to see two enormous pirate ships with massive masts and sails, mighty sterns, and figureheads of Bridgette and Geoff. And speaking of such, each one was behind the helm of one of the might ships.
"What's up, dudes!?" Geoff called down from the wheel of the Rhino's ships with his usual smile on his face.
"Hello down there!" Bridgette cried from the Eagle's ship. The contestants grinned as they paddled to shore, the ships staying a safe distance behind them as they made their way towards shore. Micheal gave Mortisha and Trey a break and grabbed Reese's wheelchair in his trunk as the pair climbed onto his broad back. Anuok and Toni soon made it to shore after them as the Eagle's made it next to them. The ships docked on the sand a couple minutes after them, and both past contestants slid down the anchor chains like a fire man's pole with big grins on their faces. "Hey, dudes!" Geoff said as he pulled Mitchell, Trey, and Reese into a bro hug. Bridgette gave a hug to each girl (shivering after hugging Mortisha) and scratched both elephant's under their chins, earning a low purring from both of them.
"Enough with the touchy-feely-moments!" Chris yelled as he took his beekeeping mask off. "Bridgette! Geoff! If you're done getting cozy with the cast, I would appreciate it if you could both assist me in finding Kiko. Apparently she's gone missing, and I am much too busy care otherwise." Chris said, swiping a lock of luscious, black hair out of his face. Bridgette and Geoff both shared a look and waved good-bye to the cast as they ran down the beach, out of sight.
"Now then! If there are no more interruptions," Chris said with a ticked look. "The second part of your challenge will be to have an epic pirate battle!" he announced with a smile. "This is gonna be wicked!"
"Each of your ships is outfitted with a dozen cannons, each of which you will be able to fire some of Chef's famous Swedish Meatballs!" Chris said as Chef pulled out a plate of seemingly harmless meatballs. Chef then picked one up and dropped it to the deck, punching all the way through to the bottom deck with a hollow thud. "The main goal of this challenge is to be the last man or woman standing. If you hit the water, you're out of the challenge! Last person standing wins!" he said with enthusiasm. "And to make things interesting, you will all be forced to dress up in standard pirate garb!" he announced, throwing them all a set of clothes and pointing towards the heads of the ships. "Now, go!" he yelled.
A couple minutes later, each player set out onto the decks of their ships, dressed to impress. Micheal sported a tri-horned captain's hat with a red trim and a black captain's jacket over a white shirt. Several knives were strapped over his chest and a pistol sat in the holster in his baggy brown pants and large boots. A giant sword bigger than him was strapped his back, and a gold tooth was stuck in his mouth that gleamed in the sunlight when he smiled.
Trey sported a piece of torn, red cloth around his head with a brown vest over a stained white shirt and black jeans with boots and his trusty guitar strapped to his back. A couple necklaces of red jewels were looped around his neck and a golden ring earring was in his ear. Next to him was Mortisha with an eye patch over one eye, a blue bandana around her head. She wore her black cloak and a single leather shoulder pad on her right shoulder with a pair of black boots. A pair of small swords sat in their sheaths, waiting to be used.
Toni wore a captain;s hat similar to Micheal's as she polished her dagger and shined her steel armor, held together by brass buttons and leather straps. Large boots were on her feet, and her hair was braided into dreadlocks decorated with beads. Anuok was dressed in a captain's jacket covered in brass buttons and clasps with a large belt that separated her white, ruffled shirt and black pants that covered her brown boots. She swung around a small anchor attached to a length of chain with little effort with her daggers in her back pockets.
And small Reese wore a red and white striped shirt with a red bandana on his head and a small hook attached to his left hand. He wore torn khaki shorts with his bare feet and had a small golden earring jabbed into his ear. All the poor cabin boy had to defend himself with was a small dagger as the rest of his crew bellowed a war cry.
On the other ship, the Eagle's had just walked out of the captain's quarters, dressed in full pirate garb. Maurananei had a tri-horned captain's hat on her head and a brown shirt with a black vest over it. She wore a pair of brown, baggy pants with large black boots. She had a large battle ax attached to her back, ready to be used at a moments noticed. Caroline stood next to her wearing a black and white striped shirt and a black headband around her head and a pair of daggers in her hands. Her golden earrings glinted in the sunlight as Alan, who was prone to seasickness, vomited on her boots. The ill boy was dressed in a gray captain's jacket and wore a red bandana around his head. A sword was attached to his belt, and he wore a pair of torn pants and boots.
As Caroline tried to wash off her vomit covered boots, Mitchell swung down from the crow's nest, sporting a pair of lean black boots, baggy, torn pants, blue shirt, and black bandana with a skull and crossbones on it. Zelda then swung down on a rope, her costume drastically different than her team mates. She wore pink and white striped leggings under her pink boots. A pink belt with a golden buckle shone in the sunlight as she straight her pink vest over her white shirt and captain's hat. Her bo staff was sheathed over her back, and she wore two rows of throwing stars over her chest as she focused her black eye patch.
"I'll admit, you losers actually look cool for once," Chris said with a laugh as he flew by on his trusty jet pack. "Oh! One more thing; we have faithfully stocked the lake with giant jellyfish and electric eels, just to make things interesting!" Chris cackled as a jelly fish the size of an elephant floated between the two ships. The contestants gasped as the large animal passed them and disappeared into the deep. "And because the Eagles won the last challenge, they get a second chance at the challenge should they fall in the water. GO!" Chris yelled, blowing his trusty air horn.
The Eagles quickly leaped into action, Maurananei taking the helm as Zelda climbed into the rigging as Mitchell scaled the crows nest. Not wanting to be useless, Alan and Caroline rushed to the side of the ship and grabbed hold of a long plank that sat on the deck. Together, they shouldered it to the railing and shoved it across the gap between the ships, the other end smacking down on the railing with a loud thunk. The duo yelled and charged across the plank, trying not to look down, and jumped to the deck, trying to look as scary as possible. "Don't be alarmed, we're taking over your ship!" Alan said in a loud, calm manner to the crew of the Geoff's Pride.
"AYE! AVAST!" Caroline yelled, thrusting forward with a dagger and promptly tripped and fell on her face as the Rhino's burst into fits of laughter before calming down and then truly scaring the crap out of the two weaklings. Micheal grinned and activated his Animatrix, once again turning into his four armed Nisilaha form. The large creature wore Micheal's outfit, but had suddenly grown a braided beard with beads in it. Four large and incredibly sharp swords appeared in each of his arms as he yelled a battle cry. Anuok swung down from the rigging and proceeded to take out a dozen barrels with her anchor win one shot, swinging it across the deck. Trey unstrapped his bass guitar and held it in a threatening manner, smacking it against his hand as he cackled. Mortisha, who was next to him, unsheathed her swords and put them in an X shape, catching the glint of the sun in their reflection. Reese gulped and yelled as he threw a dagger at Alan's feet. A large tiger covered in battle armor slunk out of the shadows of the main mast and out into full view as the whole crew assembled together, becoming an incredibly terrifying fighting force.
"I think it's time we beat a hasty retreat, don't you?" Caroline gulped.
"Retreat? Hah! I don't know the meaning of the word!" Alan yelled. "Seriously, what does it mean?"
"It's like running away but manlier." Caroline explained.
"Oh. Well, then, I say we go with your plan. RETREAT!" he cried at the top of his lungs as both teens hurried across the gangplank with the entire Rhinos team behind them yelling and roaring at the top of their lungs. Maurananei heard the noise and glanced down from her position at the wheel and groaned.
I really hate those two clowns," she sighed as she stomped down the stairs to the deck. "Man your stations, men! Caroline and Alan just brought the entire crew over for a play date!" she roared.
"Play date? Are we seriously taking a break in the middle of a challenge to play games?" Zelda called down from the rigging. Maurananei face palmed and yelled back at her. "It's just an expression! Get the anchors out of your pants and make them walk the plank!" she roared as she unsheathed her sword and ran toward a fleeing Alan and Caroline.
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"Excuse me for being confused," Zelda growled. "As great of a leader as she is, she's really starting to grind my last nerve and I've only been on this team for a day. Speaking of which, I wonder where Kiko is. I hope she hasn't been tampering with the watch." Zelda wondered in a worried tone.
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Kiko cracked open her eyes, a bright light blinding her vision. She groaned and covered her eyes with her hand, only to have it droop onto her face and remain them, stuck fast. Kiko yelled and pulled, the arms covering off with a popping sound. She looked at the appendage and screamed, a cloud of bubbles coming out of her mouth as she realized she was underwater. The events of the past couple of hours came flooding back to her and she nearly cried as she looked herself over to find herself a bigger freak than before. Sharp fins had appeared on her arms and ankles, and even bigger barnacles to the large sea turtle shell that had appeared on her back. Clumps of seaweed and shells stuck fast on random spots on her scaly body, and she soon found that she had a third arm, composing of a large crab claw. Sharp, shark-like teeth had replaced her own, and an eel-like tail had sprouted from her spine. She could barely recognize herself anymore. Tears met her eyes, but they were impossible to sea under the surface of the lake. Oh, God, what have I become? she thought.
Suddenly, she sensed something, a presence enter the water. She felt a welling instinct inside her to go after the thing and attack it, rip apart viciously with her teeth and reveal in the taste of blood. She quickly stowed that feeling away, opting to follow the more curious side of her. She climbed to her feet and swam toward the being in the water, in a completely unorthodox motion of paddling with her arms and moving her new tail from side to side as her gills sucked in water. She was about halfway to the being when she felt something inside her move and push towards the surface of skin. She instantly began to panic as a large bump formed on her forehead and spat forth a long fleshy wire with a little attached to it, similar to an angler fish. She felt her teeth become serrated and more needle-like as they forced themselves out of her mouth to curl up and over her top lip, creating an exaggerated under bite. She felt something forming like vile in the back of her throat and she instinctively coughed it up to reveal a sharp, parrot-like beak attached to a sort of fleshy hose. She could feel fins forming on the side of her head as an itchy feeling became known to her on her hips and back. They revealed nothing knew, so she ignored them for the most part. Once she was sure the extra additions to her new form were over she swam forward again, faster than before due to her extra fins and aerodynamics. She lurked on the bottom of the lake and moved towards the shore, her senses telling her that she was close to what she was looking for.
"Are you sure using the water is the best way to find Kiko?" Bridgette asked in a skeptical tone.
"'Cha! Not only will be easy travel, but we catch some awesome waves while we're at it!" Geoff said with a laugh as he and Bridgette straddled a surfboard together. The young couple had found an old surfboard in one of the island's few buildings and had decided to take the opportunity to relax while searching for the missing contestant. Bridgette smiled and sighed leaning back on the board to rest on Geoff's chest as he paddled along. Things couldn't have been better when Geoff felt something brush up against his leg.
"Um, Bridge? You do know how to treat a jellyfish sting, right?" he asked with a nervous tone.
"Yeah? Why do you ask?" Bridgette asked her boyfriend, sitting up with concern.
"Just in case one of the monster jellyfish from the challenge drifted over here. I think there's something in the water." Geoff said.
"You mean like fish?" Bridgette laughed. "C'mon Geoff, it's probably just Chris trying to scare us. We're too old to fall for tricks like– AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Bridgette screamed as she felt something move against her leg and something slimy wrap around it before she jerked her leg out of the water. The two teens huddled together on the board as a large fin broke the surface of the water and edged closer, glimpses of other things popping up every now and then. And then, just as it had suddenly appeared it, it was gone.
"What was that?" Bridgette asked with a scared voice.
"I dunno, babe. But whatever it is, it's freaking me out!"
"RRRRAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" a loud and hoarse roar sounded as a large creature surfaced in front of them. Slimy tentacles twisted and churned the water as the creature's wicked jaws snapped open and shut, the tentacle-beak sliding in and out every now and then. The monster was hideous, like a twisted combination of hundreds of sea creatures rolled into one. The animal moved forward, and both Bridgette and Geoff screamed and dove off the board, swimming towards shore. The creature roared again and dove under the water, giving chase after them until they finally reached shore. The two gasped for air and climbed across the shore, staying well away from the water as the creature seemingly gave up.
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"Seriously!? Another mutant?" Bridgette complained to the camera. "You've gone to far Chris! Too far!" sh yelled, jabbing a finger at the camera.
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"I have never been so scared of the water in my life, man." Geoff squeaked as he assumed a fetal position and rocked back and forth on his heels.
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"I think we're safe, babe." Geoff said with a sigh of relief. "I don't think it can move out of water."
He was quickly proven wrong when the creature's shell moved towards the shallowest part of the shore and slowly inched its way up the beach. Bridgette screamed as Geoff grabbed a tree branch and held it in a threatening manner as the creature quickly drew up to it's full height of seven feet. It walked on two pairs of crab-like legs with a large claw on its left and a slimy octopus tentacle on its right. Her human hair might have been was a withering nest of sea anemone tentacles and seaweed. A large turtle shell was on the h=back with two shark-like fins breaking out of the surface. The shell was covered in barnacles and seashells, with a slimy eel-like tail at the end. The creature had angler-fish like teeth and sharp fins on it's arms and legs, a glowing protrusion on its forehead, and large glowing dots on its hips. But what surprised both teens the most was that there appeared to be a pair of limp and seemingly useless human legs attached to the creature, just between its jointed crab legs. A shriveled human arm was nearly concealed under the giant crab claw, and it seemed to have an almost human face that looked on them with a pleading expression.
"RRRRAAAAAAA-GGGGGGHHHH!" the monster bellowed as it tiptoed closer. Geoff lashed out with his tree branch, but the creature caught it in its claw and snapped it in two. Geoff reached for a large rock, but was stopped when Bridgette held his hand back. "Hold on, Geoff! I think I know what's going on here." she said in a calm tone. Geoff cocked an eyebrow but remained silent. Once Bridgette was sure he wouldn't try anything, she slowly walked up to the creature with slow and deliberate movements. The monster cocked its head and lowered itself down to her level, still being about foot taller than her. Bridgette reached out with a hand gently touched the creature's face, expecting it to take her hand off with one quickly movement of its lethal jaws.
Except it didn't.
Bridgette cracked open an eye and breathed, not even realizing she had been holding her breath. She felt something on her finger tips and looked to see a river of salty tears streaming down the creature's face. Before she could move, the monster pulled her into a hug, wrapping it's large tentacle and claw around her. The single human arm entwined its fingers into her blonde locks as it cried freely, its breaths big and labored. Geoff, meanwhile, was more confused than he had ever been in his whole life. He slowly reached for a rock, but was cut short by a warning look from Bridgette.
"Geoff, this isn't just some hideous monster," Bridgette said calmly as she gently stroked the creature's anemone hair, which was surprisingly devoid of any stingers. "I think this is Kiko."
"What? Are you crazy!?" Geoff yelled and threw up his arms. The monster roared and held Bridgette tighter, loosening its grip on her when Geoff backed off a little ways. Bridgette put a finger to her lips. "Shhhh. Come on, it's okay." she said in a gently voice. The creature, suddenly plopped onto the ground, its crab-like legs splayed haphazardly across the sand as Bridgette continued to stroke her hair. "Geoff." she whispered. "Come closer. And don't make any sudden movements. Just gently pet her, or she'll go crazy." she hissed to a nervous Geoff. The party dude stiffly nodded and edged closer, reaching out with a finger for one of the crab's legs. He gently touched it, and the creature sucked in a large breath. Geoff froze, but the creature didn't attack. Geoff breathed a sigh of relief and put both hands on the jointed leg, gently rubbing them up and down the appendage as the creature apparently purred with pleasure. Bridgette smiled and gave a small yelp as the monster suddenly dropped her to the sand. Bridgette shook her head and looked closer at the monster before her. "Kiko? Can you understand us?" she asked quietly.
The creature slowly nodded and suddenly spoke in a low, raspy voice.
"Heeeeeelp meeeeehhhhhhhhhh." she gasped.
"Do us a favor," Maurananei growled as she parried another blow from Micheal with the staff of her axe. Caroline and Alan were each battling one of Micheal's four arms, each attack each parried with ease. For all they were doing, they might as well having been poking him with a Q-tip.
"I know it's rather difficult for you," Maurananei said to the pair. "But please, just stay here and try not to do anything . . . stupid." Alan and Caroline frowned and slunk away. Maurananei sighed. She didn't want to hurt her team mates feeling, especially Caroline; The girl was already a nervous wreck. But they unfortunately, practically useless on the battlefield, er deck. Sure, they might be able to take Reese on in his deteriorated condition, but they were virtually useless anywhere else. She would have sent them below decks to work the cannons, but she was pretty sure they wouldn't even be able to lift up any of Chef's meatballs, much less fire one out of a cannon.
"Caroline! Alan! Go below deck!" Maurananei yelled as she back flipped to dodge a brutal attack by Micheal. The pair looked at each other and stalked below decks, unsure of what to do as the battle raged overhead. Yells of fury and pain echoed through the hollow wooden hall, loud booms and and dull thuds shaking the deck. Alan sighed. "I feel completely useless." he said as he slid down the wall to the floor. Caroline sighed and fell to the floor onto her face, ignoring the dull pain in her head.
"At least none of can be eliminated. With us out of the way, we're guaranteed to win." Caroline said in a muffled voice. They each sat there for what seemed hours, but was only a couple minutes. "I got an idea!" Alan said suddenly, jumping to his feet and promptly hitting his head on one of the beams overhead. Caroline turned her face on her side to look at him, listening. "Why don't we sink the Rhino's ship?" he wondered.
"None of us can lift the stupid meatball into the cannon." Caroline sighed, sitting up.
"Yeah, alone. Together we should be strong enough to at least tilt it into the barrel." Alan said energetically. Caroline smiled and got up from the floor and ran over to a barrel full of hard, rock-like balls; Chef's famous Swedish Meatballs. Together, they wrapped their fingers and heaved it out of the barrel, falling to the floor under the weight of the round food. "What does he put in these things, cement!?" Alan cried underneath the brutal weight.
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"How's a self respect cook supposed ta have a best sellin' recipe with a secret ingredient if anyone can guess what it is!?" Chef complained. "It just ain't right."
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After a couple of agonizing minutes on Alan's part, they finally managed to slide the meatball into the barrel of cannon. Caroline found a packet of matches and struck one against the cannon, lighting the wick and crouching down, covering her ears and waiting for the blast. Alan was about to do the same when he saw something skitter past his feet, looking down to see a cockroach the size of a rat.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he screamed, jumping up and hitting his head on the barrel of the cannon and setting it straight up, just as it fired, creating a large hole in the deck as it sailed skyward. "That can't be good." Alan said nervously.
"ARR!" Zelda cried as she deflected a blow from Anuok. The pink pirate was jumping around in the labyrinth of rigging and ropes in the canopy of her team's ship, dodging attacks from Anuok's anchor. A large sweeping move had cutting her off from several short cuts and escape routes, slowing her movements as she was forced to evade Anuok's every move. She reached for a sheath of throwing stars and was ready to throw them when something about the size of a bowling ball slammed into her side, sending her to the deck. She slammed into the floor and groaned, then cried out in pain when said object smashed into her backside, sending her crashing through the deck and into the bowls of the ship. She groaned and rolled the object off of her sore back to find Alan and Caroline cowering behind a large cannon, a large Swedish meatball at the base. She quickly deduced it was the meatball that had caused her to fall, and that Alan or Caroline had fired it out of the cannon. She decided it was most likely Alan being himself: a complete idiot.
"So, you like cannons, eh?" she growled, drawing up to her full height. Before Alan could even scream, she grabbed him by the neck and stuffed him into the cannon, all that was visible being his red bandana. Zelda snatched the pack of matches from Caroline's shaking hands and struck it against the cannon and lit the wick, tilting the cannon downward so that it was aimed toward the other ship.
"FIRE ONE!" Zelda yelled as the cannon sounded off a loud boom and shot Alan out of the ship, screaming at the top of his lungs as he crashed through the hull of the ship with ease, water gushing into the hole made by Alan's head as Micheal could be heard yelling, "Stop firing at my ship!"
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"I always knew he had a thick skull," Zelda said with a smile. "Anyone who's that annoying and obnoxious has to have one. It just makes sense."
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Zelda smiled and turned to a cowering Caroline. "Please don't hurt me." she squeaked. Zelda rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you. Alan just gets on my nerves. A lot." she told the small girl. "Now, come on. Just because Maurananei wants to keep you safe, doesn't me you can't help in some way." she said with a smile before dashing towards the stairs leading to the main deck. Caroline hesitated, but followed her anyway.
She soon found herself in the middle of an all out brawl, the clanging of swords echoing through the air as the contestants fought each other to the death. Mitchell was hurling down hot coals at Trey, who sent right back by using his guitar like a baseball bat. Both Micheal and Maurananei were locked in mortal combat, slashing and swinging at each other with their swords and ax. "Mortisha! Catch!" Micheal suddenly yelled as he reached with a free arm and pulled out his blunderbuss from its holster. The small girl caught it with a hand and fired it at an unsuspecting Maurananei, the subsistence exploding on contact and consuming her in a small fire ball. "What is this?" Mortisha wondered, looking inside the gun.
"Exploding Gum!" Chris answered from the safety of his jet pack as he watched from a safe distance. Just as he said that, Mortisha fired off a couple rounds of exploding gum at Zelda, who skillfully dodged all of them with impressive flips and springs until she landed right in front of the creepy girl, her bo staff jabbed at her throat. "You're move, pirate." she growled. Mortisha took one look between Zelda's staff and the blunderbuss before raising it to the side of her head. "Hasta la vista, sucker!" she cackled as she pulled the trigger and shot a wad of explosive gum into her hair. The small explosion rocked the deck, causing everyone to fall to their feet as Mortisha was sent over the side, laughing with joy as she plummeted into the water was entangled in the tentacles of a large jellyfish. The light show that could only mean electric eels soon followed.
Micheal sighed and went back to attacking Maurananei with two of his hands, while the other two deflected blows from Zelda, now down a sparring partner. Micheal grunted and blocked a whack from Zelda's staff just as Maurananei swung her ax and hit him with the flat side of her blade. Micheal roared in pain and was forced to back up the steps to the helm as Zelda and Maurananei worked in unison, Zelda swinging low and Maurananei swinging high as Micehal was forced to retreat and defend himself with all four swords. Grunting, he thrust all of his swords forward, forcing the girls to fall back a bit as he raised all four swords for a grand finish. All of a sudden, two of his swords were knocked free from his hands to fall into the lake below. All three turned to look up in the crows nest to see Mitchell holding a ball of bright flame, flashing a smile before hurling another ball at Micheal. The Nisilaha crossed both swords over his face and deflected the hot coals back at Mitchell, hitting him square in the face and knocking him to the deck below. He moaned and sat up, only to hit from the side and pushed overboard by a Siberian Tiger clad in battle armor. The big cat roared as Mitchell screamed in pain, the eels and jellyfish making short work of him. The tiger followed the ripples of Mitchell swimming under the water to the ship's anchor, where the boy was already climbing the chain. Just when it seemed he would make it back up to the deck, both hands holding onto the railing and ready to haul him up, there was a hot searing pain in them, as if someone had dug red hot knives into them. Mitchell tilted his chin up to look at the pleased face of the tiger, its eyes almost taunting him.
"Long live the king, eh?" Mitchell said with a laugh as the tiger nodded its head and thrust him out and away from the boat to fall into the waters below, where the jellyfish and eels attacked him with renewed vigor. The tiger roared in triumph before returning to the battle, bounding across the large deck to come to Micheal's aid, and deciding to attack the girl dressed in pink. Yes, she would fill her belly for a couple of days, keep her hunger at bay until she was forced to hunt again. The silly girl didn't even know she was there, unaware that her life would soon end. She stalked closer, using a couple of barrels as cover before pouncing, claws outstretched and her teeth bared.
"Zelda! Behind you!" a voice yelled. The tiger then felt something smash into her, forcing her across the deck, keeping her from killing her prey. The big cat snarled and looked around. Where was her attacker? Was he invisible? Whatever he was, she could still smell him, ear his heavy breathing. It was as if he were right on top of her. And this proved to be correct when she felt a sharp tugging on her fur, causing her to yowl in pain and leap and run around on the deck, trying to buck off whatever was on top of her.
"Yee-HAW!" Alan cried as he rode rodeo on the tiger's back, pushing her towards the railing. His eyes danced with excitement when he saw Zelda looking his way, mouth agape as he tackled the six-hundred pound cat. Grunting, he yanked the fur to the left, the tiger following his commands and racing towards the railing and jumping into the air. Just before they both sailed over the edge, Alan jumped off and rolled to the deck, tucking in his arms and legs as the tiger fell to the water below, roaring in anger.
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"That was awesome!" Alan cried. He pumped a fist and danced around, laughing and whooping with joy. "I just wrestled with the biggest carnivore on the planet and won! In your face, Momma Nature!"
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"Normally, I don't forgive people who annoy me so quickly," Zelda said with a sly smile. "I think I'll make an exception for Alan." she said before realizing something. "And I'm not falling for him! I can't love a guy who's such a pervert, but I can at least be friends with him."
End Confessional
Caroline sucked in a deep breath and drew her daggers and charged at Reese, who squeaked and deflected the blow just before the daggers could be driven into her shoulder. Caroline was on the offensive as she tried repeatedly to stab him, Reese only just barely deflecting her lethal attacks. "Why does Chris make us fight all the time?" she whined as the loud action music played on. Reese shrugged his shoulders thrusting his dagger forward to only have it blocked by Caroline. "I dunno, but I suspect Micheal likes it, but not as much as he likes you." Reese said absentmindedly.
Caroline paused. "Wait what?" she asked as Reese rolled his wheelchair forward and hit her in the knees. She stumbled backwards, accidentally running into Alan, and both teens tilted over the railing and into the water below. Alan's cries of pain echoed across the deck. "Alan!" Zelda cried as she whacked Micheal over the head with her staff. She gave him another good whack before tossing her bo staff aside and diving over the side, the water churning as it was turned to foam. Moments later, a couple of dead jellyfish were thrown onto the deck, followed by a coughing Caroline and soaked Zelda with Alan over her shoulder. She threw him onto the deck and blocked an attack by Reese before picking him up, chair and all, and throwing him over the side, his panicked screams music to her ears.
"You saved me?" Alan coughed. Zelda nodded, a warm smile on her face. "Look, I know you like me and all, but I just can't love someone if all they want to see is my body. That's why I've decided to just be friends with you, but I will never be in love with you, perve." she told him.
"You're despicable." Alan said with a smile.
"Sticks and stones, luv. I saved your life, you saved mine. We're square."
"And I'm out of the challenge." Alan said with a pout.
"In that case . . ."Trey yelled before rushing forward and swinging his guitar, smacking Alan and Zelda in the face and sending them over the side. He turned to Caroline and growled, marching forward. Panicking, Caroline gave a low kick, sending Trey to the floor. Adrenaline as her fuel, she sprang up and grabbed hold of Trey's large frame, heaving him over her head and throwing him overboard, tossing him his bass guitar after a moments hesitation.
Confessional
"I don't think I've mentioned this before, but when it comes to lifting heavy objects, I suck. If it's a heavy animal, say a horse or a rhino, then it's pretty easy. And since Trey is a human, and humans are animals, throwing Trey overboard was a piece of cake!"
Change Confessional
"Note to self: stay on Caroline's good side." Trey said as he rubbed vinegar on his giant jellyfish stings, hissing in pain as the liquid seeped over the electric eel bites.
End Confessional
Furious, Caroline turned to face Anuok, the only other member of the Rhinos other than Micheal still on board. Yelling she charged forward, only to suddenly fell as Anuok lashed out with her anchor chain, tripping her. Anuok pulled the anchor chain back, swinging the small anchor over her head like a lasso and giving Caroline a "come at me" gesture. Caroline growled and surged forward, her daggers raised high. Anuok merely yawned and sidestepped the attack, Caroline rushing past her and crashing into a couple of barrels. Caroline lay in the wreckage as Anuok crept closer, her usual calm and determined face turning into something more scary. Caroline reached around frantically for something to defend herself and came up with a stick. Not just any ordinary stick, but Zelda's stick.
Anuok swung with the chain, the anchor end ready to smash in Caroline's skull. Caorline lashed out with the bo staff, and the anchor suddenly wrapped around it several times, the sharp end catching on one of the chain loops and holding it tight. Caroline grinned mischievously as Anuok paled slightly. With a yell, Caroline yanked back on the staff, pulling Anuok forward and slamming the mute girl into her own skull. The blow didn't hurt her at all, but it dazed Anuok. While she was dizzy, Caroline gripped the staff tighter and yanked back again, pulling Anuok towards her and swinging her high into the air. Caroline's smile broadened as she twisted the staff so that Anuok was being swung around and around and around and around, like she was on some crazy carnival ride as she silently screamed.
Caroline then lowered the staff a little, still twisting so Anuok kept spinning. Her goal was to hopefully throw her over the side and keep her from landing on the wreckage of the Geoff's Pride or climbing the anchor of the Bridgette's Beauty. She accomplished both goals in less than a minute, but also did something she instantly regret. As she swung Anuok for the twentieth time, she swung closer and closer to a duel Maurananei until she slammed right into her, carrying her across the deck and over the side of the railing as she cursed and both girls fell. The anchor loosened and fell with them as Caroline rushed over to the railing to see a ticked and wet Maurananei climbing up the hull of the ship, using her nails like claws. "Sorry!" Caroline called down.
"Never mind that! Just help me up!" Maurananei snapped. Caroline sighed and reached over with the staff in hand. She just a couple inches away when her grip loosened and the metal staff fell, conking Maurananei on the head and sending her to the depths. Caroline watched in horror as she fell and a dull thud could be heard behind her. Her face completely pale, she turned to see the hulking, twelve foot frame of Micheal, two large swords in two of his hands and a wicked grin on his face. "Sorry, Caroline. I know we're friends and all, but I just can't let a victory go. You understand." he cackled as Caroline gulped in fear.
Confessional
"Yes, I've tussled with Micheal before. But that time, he deliberately threw the challenge for me!" Caroline cried with worry. "He's gonna skin me alive!" she yelped.
End Confessional
The two teens warily circled each other like a pair of hungry lions, Caroline quivering and shaking as Micheal's heavy footsteps thudded against the wooden deck. He had lowered his swords so that they would slowly scrape the deck, creating a sound that sent shivers down Caroline's spine. His second pair of arms were slowly and deliberately smacking against each other, acting like the hands of a clock counting the precious minutes someone had to live. And with a startled yell from Caroline, the final battle begun. With a strangled yell, Caroline rushed forward, counting on her hidden strength to win the battle. Micheal was also counting on his strength to win. But unlike Caroline, he had weapons. Sharp, deadly weapons that thirsted for blood like hungry wolves during a famine.
As Caroline rushed forward, Micheal roared and raised his fists, slamming them down on the deck and sending a shock wave through the boat that tore away at the upper deck, wooden pieces jutting up here and there as it traveled along to meet Caroline, knocking her off her feet. As soon as she was down, she was up on her feet again, running and dashing about like a mad rabbit in the hopes of confusing the Nisilaha as she ran towards him, ready to punch him in the face and push over the side.
It didn't work.
With a yell, Caroline used a piece of broken deck as a springboard, soaring through the air to punch and kick Micheal in the face, only to caught in one large hand that seemed to dwarf her entire body. "Nice try, sweet thing, but it ain't gonna work. Caroline was now shaking like a leaf in a storm. "You're not gonna hurt me are you?" she asked.
"Tell me, do you know anything about Davy Jones?" Micheal asked her.
Caroline shook her head.
"Then no, I'm not going to hurt you. They are." he said with a smile, gesturing towards the angry jellyfish and snapping eels that circled the boat, hungry for food. Micheal gently set Caroline down on the deck and was soon engulfed in a flash of red light, signaling his time out. "Don't worry. As soon as I've won the challenge I'll come rescue you." he said with a grin. He reached for the Animatrix, and cycled through the list, Caroline watching with a worried look. She was so paralyzed with fear she couldn't move, not even to strike her opponent at his weakest.
THUMP.
"Did you hear something?" Micheal asked, his eyes never wavering from the Animatrix.
THUMP.
"Okay, seriously. What is that noise?" Micheal asked looking up. A loud squelching sound could be heard from the left side of the ship where both Caroline and Micheal were, a low moaning accompanying the sickening sound as the boat suddenly jerked to the left side and righted itself. Something was climbing on board. "Didn't I get rid of the rest of your team mates?" Micheal asked Caroline, whose face had gone from panic mode to slightly less afraid. She knew what the sound was. How whatever was making that sound ended up like this was beyond her, but she at least knew it would be friendly. To her anyway.
"Say hello to a little friend of mine." Caroline said with a smile as a massive mound of twisted body parts landed on the deck. Micheal jerked back in surprise as the pile of fleshy drew up to its full height and let out a roar that blew off his captain's hat. Micheal stumbled backward and fell against the mast, the activation button on his Animatrix getting pressed as it did. "Oh, that can't be good." he said with worry as the red light engulfed him. Caroline gasped as Micheal transformed, the watch flawlessly doing its work until it was done, changing the normal teenage boy into a gigantic animal, revealing to be an incredibly large Brachiosaurus.
The animal was over forty feet tall, and almost eighty five feet in length. It looked as if it weighed over thirty tons, and could crush even the biggest of today's land animals under its large feet. Th dinosaur gave a single roar before a loud cracking sound filled the air, the sound of splintering wood following it.
"I'm beginning to hate the watch of yours." was all Caroline managed to say before the entire pirate ship broke in two, sinking beneath the waves. For the briefest of seconds all three of them, Micheal, Caroline, and Kiko hovered there, before plunging down toward the water. Caroline screamed when she suddenly felt something slimy attached itself to her and pull back on itself. Caroline was yanked toward the messy pile of body parts and was then flung up towards the head of the Brachiosaurus, just before they all sank beneath the waves. Of course, being one of the largest animals in the history of the world, the water only came up to Micheal's massive sides and chest. Kiko sank beneath the waves, swimming towards the shore where two blonde smiled and waved.
"And we have a winner!" Chris announced. The dinosaur looked confused before Chris pointed up. Following his direction with his eyes, Micheal soon found a shivering Caroline clinging tightly to his skull. The animal roared, but admitted defeat as he lumbered to the shore, the lake water slapping at his sides as he moved through the lake and up to the shore, completely dwarfing everyone there as his footsteps shook the earth.
"You've all cast your votes tonight," Chris began with his usual campfire drawl. "If I throw you a marshmallow, you're safe. And if you don't get one-"
"You will voted off the island, fired out of the Torpedo of Shame, and you can't come back ever, blah, blah, blah, blabitty-blah. Get on with it." a disgruntled Micheal growled. Chris glared at him, but reached for a marshmallow anyways.
"Reese." The small boy cheered and caught his marshmallow, coughing up a little bit of water as he did. As no one was able to catch him right away, he had sunk to the bottom of the lake, and had stayed down there for the better part of the challenge until Anuok came to his rescue and gave him CPR.
"Trey." The wet musician, still dressed in pirate uniform, caught his marshmallow in one hand and shoved it into his mouth, chewing slowly. In truth, he was barely paying attention, his mind wandering back to that dream he had had earlier. What did it mean? And why did he like the girl in his dream so much? It reminded him of someone, but he just couldn't put his finger on it.
"Toni." Chris said, tossing the marshmallow to the ground. Toni growled and pounced on it like a cat, grabbing it in her teeth and shaking her head from side to side until she tore a piece of it off, snapping it off in her jaws and swallowing it with a savage smile on her face as everyone starred at her.
"Um, Anuok." Chris said with a slightly scared voice. The silent girl caught the delicious treat in her hands and popped it in her mouth, smiling at Reese. One marshmallow left on the plate, and two campers left.
"Mortisha! You decided playing with toxic jellyfish and electric eels would be more fun than helping your team win the challenge. Pretty good reason to boot you off." Chris said as Mortisha sulked. She had enjoyed the event very much, not even minding that the electric eels had stopped and started her heart several times before she was dragged to shore. And now she might be going home just because she was trying to have fun.
"Micheal! You came, you saw, and kicked butt easily. But sadly, your aggression got the best of you and you sank the only ship keeping you dry Plus the fact that you DESTROYED MY COTTAGE is good reason to send you packing." Chris said angrily.
"It was a freakin' mansion!" Micheal argued. "You don't call something that big a 'cottage'!"
Chris rolled his eyes and picked the marshmallow up in two fingers. One camper was staying, and one was going. Personally, he didn't care which one it was. If he had to choose, well . . .
Confessional
"I'll admit, I probably went a little too far when battling Caroline," Micheal said with a heavy sigh. "That's all I'm saying. Might as well end on a good note before I go home."
End Confessional
"Just give Mortisha the stupid marshmallow already," Micheal sighed. "We all know I'm probably going home."
Chris smiled his famous grin. "That's what you think!" he said, tossing Micheal the marshmallow. The teen was so shocked, the juicy treat just fell to the ground, where a hungry Toni quickly devoured it in a way similar to a crocodile, death roll and all. "Say what? Why are you sending her home? All she did was take a dive! I sunk a ship, blew our chances at winning, and destroyed Chris's freakin' cottage!"
"Mansion!" Chris corrected.
"WHATEVER!" Micheal roared. "Why the heck am I not being stuffed into a torpedo capsule right now?" His team mates shrugged, looking between themselves for answers.
"I dunno. Probably because we need you." Toni said with a shrug.
"Plus, that watch of yours is simply awesome!" Reese laughed. Micheal rolled his eyes before turning to Mortisha. "Hey, um. I dunno, uh. Good luck?" he said, sticking out a hand for the creepy girl to shake. Mortisha starred at it, and Micheal was worried he somehow offended her when she suddenly pulled him into a hug. Caught off guard, Micheal stood there for few seconds before hugging her back, gesturing for the rest of the team to come in. The others shared a shrug and joined them, Mortisha finally feeling complete inside. "You not have had any friends when you got here, but you have at least five when you leave." Micheal told her. "Either way, you're still scary."
Mortisha laughed. "Eh, I'll take what I can get. You guys at the finale!" she laughed before breaking free of the group and running full speed to the docks, a disgruntled Chef minutes behind her. A couple seconds later, the submarine fired, the capsule exploding about a mile away. Chef just stood on the docks with a shocked look on his face before shaking his head and walking off back to his trailer to catch some sleep.
"I told you, it wasn't finished yet!" Zelda yelled, berating the hulking beast before her as she worked feverishly on the watch that stuck fast between Kiko's eyes. She stood firmly on Kiko's large claw, hoisted up in the air by a couple feet so she could work while the others were partying in the Hangout of Awesomeness once more. "Wheeeeet 'appenen?" Kiko asked, her vocal cords barely working.
Zelda shrugged as she wiped the sweat from her brow. "I don't know exactly what you call it, but because the watch wasn't complete, the selection feature wasn't fully operational. When you selected the Ursus arctos horribilius, you accidentally switched to the next organism, an Enteroctopus dofleini, you accidentally caused the animal's DNA to become infused with yours, creating your first form. How all the other parts that you currently control came to be is beyond me. On the bright side, the effect is reversible. I just need to . . . . there!" Zelda said with satisfaction. She then raised a fist and punched the watch face with all her might before jumping back. A loud beeping sound echoed through the cave before a bright flash of purple light engulfed Kiko. The fins and gills suddenly vanished, as if they had never been there. The layer of fish scales simply fell off, like a shed skin. The jointed crab legs sucked themselves back into Kiko's hips with a sickening slurping sound as the tip of the tentacle split into five bent rods. The crab claw shrank and simply vanished into thin air as the anemone tentacles on her head became locks of human hair. She could now see in color again and see better in general. The slimy tail was sucked back into her spine as the shark fins faded into her back. The turtle shell softened and returned back to human skin that was quickly covered by cloth. The glowing antennae was slurped back into her skull as teeth became normal once more and every last barnacle fell off. She was human once more.
Kiko sat on her knees in the mouth of the cave, breathing heavily as the watch on her wrist glowed purple, awaiting its next command. She didn't move as Zelda knelt down and tapped a hidden button, and the watch suddenly let go of Kiko's wrist. "I would suggest hiding that in a better place." Kiko said as she rubbed her wrist.
"Is that the closest thing I'll ever get to an apology?" Zelda asked.
"Yep."
"Consider it done.
Caroline sighed as she shoveled in the last of the fresh straw. The stables were finally clean, every last piece of manure gone, and the stalls refilled with fresh hay. She sucked in a deep breath and rested on her pitch fork as the horses came wandering back in, each to their own stall after a day outside. It seemed to have done them some good anyways. They all ready looked bigger and more filled than before. And they had of course, been friendly and actually listened when she told them about Micheal, everything from the him saving her from the rock slide to his sudden hatred towards her. The horses thought he was a jerk.
"Can we talk?"
Caroline turned to see a nervous Micheal at the entrance to stables. The watch on his wrist was turned black, apparently in recharge mode. Before she could say anything, two horses leaped in front of her, rearing onto their hind legs and kicking out with their sharp hooves. Micheal backed away as Caroline sighed. "Roger, James, calm down. His Animatrix is in recharge mode. He couldn't hurt me if he wanted to. Besides, I've got a weapon and he doesn't." she said, gesturing towards the pitch fork. The horses gave a questioning look, but clopped into their separate stalls, Caroline closing the doors behind them. "What do you want to talk about?" she asked as she sat down on a bale of hay, exhausted from the night's work.
Micheal sighed and sat down on a bale of hay opposite of her. "Look, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about earlier. About my actions and the way I treated you so to speak."
"Go on."
Micheal sighed again and continued on. "I don't know what came over me. It just sort of happened."
"Reese said that you liked me." Caroline suddenly said, causing Micheal to fall off his bale of hay and onto the floor, which smelled distinctly of manure. The horses whined with delight before Caroline through them a look, instantly quieting them down. "He said what?" Micheal asked.
"That you liked me. Is that true?" Caroline asked, her face showing no emotion. Inside, she was panicking, not sure of how to act or talk. She was surprised she was keeping cool under such conditions, and was near the breaking point, but she kept her cool and the pitch fork trained on Micheal. "Um, I guess?" Micheal tried, only to have the butt of the pitchfork slam into his side, knocking the wind out of him. "I'm sorry, what was that?" Caroline asked.
"Yes! Yes, I like you! I like you! Just don't hit me with that thing again!" Micheal yelled as he managed to let air back into his lungs. He stood up on shaky feet, towering over Caroline, even as she stood up to her full height. "That's all I needed to know." she said with a smile before lunging forward and tackling Micheal to the ground and taking him by surprise. Micheal cried out, but his lips were so covered by hers, locked in kiss. Micheal quit struggling and pulled Caroline further into the kiss. The small girl was practically giddy with joy, everything over her entire lifetime ebbing away in that kiss, all the pain and misery the world have given her. And now, she had found a second spec of hope in the endless sea of tragedy. And she knew she wouldn't sink anytime soon.
"And thus concludes another episode!" Chris announced with his trade mark grin. "Will Kiko listen to Zelda more often? Will Caroline and Micheal remain a couple? Will Trey lose his sanity? And can my teeth possibly get any whiter?" Chris asked. "All of these and more, probably won't be answered next time! On Total! Drama! Pahkitew's Vengeance!" Chris cried, a slurping sound distracting him. He turned to see Bridgette and Geoff making out on one of the campfire logs, oblivious to Chris even being there. "Ugh. Get a room, will ya?" Chris sighed as he averted his eyes.
And . . . . . . done! Finally! I swear, I rewrote this thing at least three times before I got this done. FYI, I borrowed some quotes from Pirates of the Caribbean if anyone noticed. I'm also putting this out, stating that I own nothing related to the Pirates at all. And thus concludes by longest chapter as well! Huh. Anyways, be sure to leave a comment in the reviews, or PM if you have complaints, ideas, requests, or suggestions for next time. And don't forget to check out your OC on Deviantart! The directions are at the start of the chapter if you didn't look before.
Oh! One more thing! I've been thinking about doing an Aftermath for this season! I wasn't sure if I should go with it or not, so I'm leaving that up to you guys! Geoff and Bridgette will of course still be hosting, but who knows what could happen? Let me know what you think, and I will have the hauntingly awesome chapter up next month!
Hasta Luego!