Disclaimer - All rights belong to Teletoon, Cartoon Network, and the creators of TDI. No profit is being made in the making of the fanfiction. This alternate-universe episode of TDI contains stunts performed by written teens. Please don't try any of this at home. Anyone trying to steal my characters will be used by Mandy as sacrifices to Cthulhu, buahaha.
Lyrics from "Indestructible" are from Disturbed and their recording company; it's such an awesome song too.
The Kobold Necromancer's Notes - Seems most of you want me to continue TDB. And of course I'll be doing that, so don't worry about it.
And yeah, I managed to get this one out a lot more quickly. Consider it a present for all the frustration we put up with when the site wasn't working properly. And I had a lot of free time for a couple days.
Chapter 12 - Screaming Mantis-Heather
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Yoshi leaned up against a wall, grinding his teeth in determination. He peeped around the corner, and then his vision exploded with pain and stars.
Falling back, his helmet was knocked off as he hit the floor, blood streaming down from his forehead. The warrior groaned in pain, but still had his paintball gun ready. When the attacker came around the corner, he opened fire and drove him away, but his bad vision kept him from shooting his opponent.
"Damn it," Yoshi growled, putting his hand to his wound. It came back wet with blood. "You son of a..."
He heard Zachary's laughter as the offender ran off. "How do you like that, you psychotic bastard?"
"I'm gonna," Yoshi stopped to groan as he stood up, blood still lightly cascading down his face. He put his helmet back on, and glared fiercely. "Gonna make you pay for that!!"
(The Pops)
Rodney blinked at Sandra several times, trying to think of every possible situation of why the gum-snapping girl would be in the announcer's booth, and not have given one announcement the entire day. When she snapped a bubble, he flinched.
"Um, so," he said nervously, scratching the back of his head, "what are you doing here?"
"Helping your team," she said casually. "Or I should say 'my team.' I've been leading these people while you've been running around like a child."
Rodney didn't follow that smilie, since he was a child. Before he could ask, she spun around on her chair and faced the screens.
"Arthur, Eva's coming up from behind you," she exclaimed. "Crystal, will you get that psycho already? Zachary, grow a pair and face that samurai-wannabe head on!"
"I... I don't get this," Rodney asked, looking around. "Why are you-"
He stopped when he heard Sandra's voice from the headset in his helmet under his army helmet . "What are you doing?"
"Oh, what does it look like I'm doing?" she snapped, then snapped her gum. "For a prodigy child, you sure are dumb."
Eva spun around and opened fire. Arthur cried out when a paintball hit him in the gut. He snarled and fired back, but the fitness buff hit the ground. They continued to fire until Arthur dropped his paintball gun.
"D-damn," he groaned, falling to his knees. "I... I really thought I got the drop on you."
"Well, you freaking cheaters were using Sandra as a watchtower spy," Eva grumbled. "Seems fair that Joel and Duncan could help us out."
"Crap. Turnabout is fair play, is it not?"
"It is," she replied with a victorious grin. "Now Joel, where's the next victim?"
"I think Izzy and Crystal are exchanging gunfire nearby," Joel said. "You're on Crystal's side, so if you... oh no... no no no!"
"What are the no's for? Ix-nay on the no's!"
"Izzy was hit, and she went down! I think she's out! Eva, quick, you gotta-"
Static cut him off, so sharp that it made Eva wince in pain. She gripped the headset piece, and winced. "What the hell?" she snapped. "Joel, I thought you were better at electronics than that! Will you clear it up?"
"There is no more Joel, you fat gorilla."
The message was broadcast to several people, both nerd and popular. Eva's eyes bulged in fury at the realization of that voice. "Sandra? What the hell are you doing?!"
"I've taken over the headsets for both teams," Sandra spat. "Luckily for me, the equipment here is better than what Joel and Duncan are using. Now you aren't going to cheat any more."
"What? You're the one who's cheating! Now you're cheating on our cheating!"
"And that's fine by me, you gym-dwelling ugly."
"Wow," Arthur muttered from the floor, "she's mean."
"Now you're going to all lose," Sandra continued. "And the nerds will all down, mostly because of ugly skanks like you."
Eva tore the headset from her helmet, and stomped it to pieces. Spitting on it before heading off, leaving a slightly shocked Arthur behind her.
(Janitor's Closet - That was mean.)
Arthur - "Wow. That was kind of hot, no wonder Cody likes her. She's like a really tough heroine from X-Men, like Emma Frost or Storm or..."
\He stops, and stammers.\ "Not that I... I never... oh what the hell. Everyone watching the confessional knows by now. Whatever. I like the art and the action. So sue me; I had a crush on Rogue when I was young and... well, now I'm actually her age. And her boobs get bigger every generation!"
Zachary lay on the ground, covered in paint. Yoshi was standing, heaving and panting, with blood and paint staining him. The warrior was not defeated, but his rival sure was. He had one foot on Zachary's chest, grinning happily.
"Hope you took one last look around while you were alive," Yoshi cackled, "because I'm an indestructible master of war."
"Get off me," Zachary groaned, writhing a little on the ground.
"Hell no. I'm gonna make you for trying to bash my face in."
"Methinks it improves your looks."
"You cannot make me upset, I'm in way too good of a mood. Today, I bested your whiny, little ass."
Zachary let out a hacking cough that sounded like laughter. "Oh, you really think so? Well you may have got me, but there's no way you can win this contest."
"You think that your advantage with Sandra is enough? I'll hunt down the rest of you, and-"
"Sandra has control over all your headsets, and," he added with a victorious laugh, "she has Rodney up in the announcer's booth with her."
Yoshi blinked a couple times, then scoffed. "So? Even if Rodney stays unharmed, it doesn't matter. This isn't a video game with a time limit."
"I don't think so, white boy. You see, Chris ain't gonna let this competition drag out for much longer. And when he calls the time limit, who do you think he is gonna declare the winner? You guys, or the team he's put money on?"
The warrior blinked a few times in realization, then his face scrunched up in fury. He raised his fists in the air, let out a furious cry in Japanese, and ran off. "Where is that announcer's booth? I'll rip that gum right out from her mouth."
Zachary lay on the ground defeated, chuckling to himself. He stopped laughing when from around the corner, he heard this exchange:
"Get out of my way, Crystal!"
"Eeeeeek!"
BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT! ... BLAT!
"Oh buggar, that hurt..."
"I don't have time to waste on you, I've got a gum-snapping skank to shoot down!"
"I won't stop you then... oh, Yoshi? How are things going between you and Daisy?"
"What? Um, I dunno!"
"Because she really seems to like you, and... hey, get back here! Bloody hell, I wanna talk to you!"
(Janitor's Closet - The British go down.)
Crystal - "Even after shooting me down so harshly, I think Yoshi's love life is something I'd like to help him with. That old chap really needs a girlfriend, or he'll lose it, eh wot?" \She chuckles to herself.\
Zachary - "I'm a guy who likes specific types of movies. Crime, action, bloody horror, and the occasional western with lots of gun play. I only watched one detective movie, and I didn't like at first, but when I saw the detective make a very strong claim on the case, I thought that was awesome. And that's how it felt when I laid it on that white freak."
\He laughs and slaps his hands together.\ "Boy, it was worth being shot multiple times and knocked to the ground by that guy! ... Well, almost, but it was pretty much worth it!"
Rodney watched Sandra, and listened to what she was saying. Watching her pound the computer in frustration, he was rapidly coming to a conclusion; he was just really nervous to confront her when she was like this.
"Stupid asian psycho," she shrieked. "He's running around like a wild animal! I'm just glad he cannot get us up here."
"What's going on?" Rodney asked her. "Who are you talking to?"
"Not sure, I'm having a hard time reading this stuff," Sandra remarked. "You might be the last one standing."
Rodney swallowed hard, then he asked what had been on his mind. "Wait, what are you doing here, Sandra? Weren't you voted off?"
"I am here to make sure the nerds lose," she spat out. "Something you couldn't do, you snot-nosed brat."
Rodney could take insults, and he was more confused than anything. "What do you mean? What have you been doing?"
"If you must know, I've been telling everyone where to go, and we've been ambushing those nerds. We were doing fine until Joel butted in. Luckily, I scrambled the channels with these instruments, so now he cannot help them any more."
"Wait wait wait," Rodney said, waving his free hand desperately. "You were organizing us from above? But that's cheating!"
"So the hell what?" she spat, snapping her gum. "They're nerds."
"But there's a lot of good people on that team! Like Hannah and Ezekiel and Alfred and Beth, and-"
"Shut up," Sandra growled at him. "I really don't want to deal with a spoiled, rotten little brat like you."
"This isn't right, Sandra! You cannot help the other team, it was supposed to be a fair competition!"
"Whatever. You would've ruined it, because you suck at this game. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna keep the nerds busy. Soon Chris'll declare us the victors by default, so sit tight up here, and we win."
She snapped her gum and focused her attention on the computer screens. That attention was broken when she heard the click of a paintball gun, one now ready to fire. She slowly turned to see Rodney pointing one at her.
"Get away from those computers," he said, seriously but with a shaking voice. "I'm not letting you cheat anymore."
She scoffed. "You don't have the guts, kid."
BLAT!
Sandra's eyes widened when the paintball shot past her face, and splattered on the wall behind her. Her jaw dropped, and her gum nearly fell out.
"Oh no," Rodney whimpered. "I got paint on the wall! I might have to pay for that..."
"You little twerp," she exploded. "How dare you! I was the one leading this team, not you! If it wasn't for me, we could have lost!"
"I'm not having you cheat," Rodney exclaimed. "It's not right, and I don't care if we win or lose, I want to play fairly."
"Give me that gun, you runt!"
Sandra lunged at him, and he leapt away. She almost hit the door he came in, and she turned towards him. "Oh, it doesn't even matter now," she said. "You're staying in here, and I'm not letting you out."
"I'll go through that door," Rodney exclaimed, pointing at the door at the back.
"That leads to the roof, stupid," she grumbled. "It really doesn't matter. You're staying in here, and no one will be able to get you; therefore, we win."
The door flung open right when she began to blow a bubble. Yoshi stood there, a frightening sight with blood and paint on him, and his paintball gun pointed directly at Sandra.
"YOU," he bellowed when his eyes were set on her, the gum bubble still on her lips.
BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT! ... BLAT BLAT BLAT!
Sandra wasn't even wearing armor, but she fell to the floor harder than anyone else. Looking at her face, some would think her gum bubble has burst on her face, but it was just a blast of paint that had hit her on the lips; they were already starting to swell up.
Rodney let out a terrified cry, and ran for the other door. Yoshi chased after him, firing but missing a lot because the prodigy child was a small target. They both ran up the stairs, and found themselves on the roof.
The prodigy child looked around, trying to find cover. There was a large statue of Chris Maclean posing like Atlas, with a large globe on his back. Rodney also noticed two wires attached to the side of the rooftop, the ones goes down to connect to a pole in the middle of the labyrinth; he wasn't sure what they were for, maybe decor.
Rodney knew that some people would be brave enough to slide down the wires down to the labyrinth (Izzy, Alfred, Harold, Carol), but not him. So he stood there, shaking nervously, until Yoshi burst onto the roof. Paintballs were shot at Rodney as he leapt behind the Chris Maclean-Atlas statue.
"You cannot hide forever," Yoshi shouted at him.
"I can try," Rodney whimpered.
"It's a battle between us leaders now, Rodney. What an awesome battle this shall be."
"Well, I'm not that good. I kind of let everyone on my team down," he said with a heavy sigh.
"You did fine. I overheard Sandra, and she hasn't a clue how to play the game. Your teams were well-paired, and you're one of the few remaining."
"I honestly didn't know that Sandra was cheating."
"Never believed for a second that you asked her to do that."
Rodney sighed, leaning against the foot of the Maclean statue. "I wish the game had gone fair. I didn't like how Chris shot one of your teammates at the beginning."
"Eh, I guess it's all fair, Joel and Duncan helped broadcast."
He lazily shot the foot of the statue several times. Rodney flinched once, then shrugged. "Guess it was all fair then," the prodigy child remarked.
"Now it comes down to us."
"Yeah. I guess it is."
The kid turned around and gave the heel of the state a small kick. A horrible cracking sound reverberated around them, and the foot, starting with the heel, broke apart. The statue quivered, the arms cracking and breaking, and then finally snapping. The globe fell down, snapping the head right off, and sending the large orb rolling towards the side.
"Oh no," Rodney cried out. "I broke it!"
"Right at the heel too," Yoshi remarked, watching the rolling ball. "I actually never thought that would work."
They watched it roll in fascination. Rodney swallowed hard. "I broke a statue, I got lost, I shot paint on the wall in the announcer's booth. If my mom finds out I did any of this, she'll kill me."
"We're on live TV."
"Maybe they'll edit some parts out."
"We all hope for that at some points."
"Hey, um, do you think we should stop it?" Rodney asked, pointing at the rolling globe.
"Yeah, it's probably expensive."
(Janitor's Closet - The revolving world!)
Chris Maclean - \scowling, his arms crossed\ "It was, actually. Very much, and I doubt I could get it fixed after what happened!"
Chef Hatchet - \cackling and slapping his knee\ "Oh man, that was priceless! I am so happy those two kids wrecked it! I was gonna do it myself, but I knew Chris would take it out of my paycheck. I was ready to pay that duck to do it."
Groucho the Duck - \holding his language dictionary in one wing, and a SAM launcher under the other\ "Oh, I so would've done it too."
Raccoon - \holding a bundle of TNT in his paws\ "lolz, me too! id bee up on ur arena, boom-booming up ur stachews!"
Yoshi and Rodney raced over to the globe, pulling down against the revolving to try and stop it; however, the momentum was too strong. Both of them were pulled up onto the top, and began running to avoid being thrown over the other side and flattened.
The globe rolled down onto the wires, and continued to roll down them towards the middle of the labyrinth; however, the weight of globe soon became too much, and it fell in-between the two wires.
Eva, who was searching the maze for any remaining popular people, heard some screaming from above. She looked up, and her eyes widened in horror as she saw a very large orb coming down towards her. While leaping away, the impact of the globe against one of the labyrinth's walls caused a shock wave that blew her into wall.
The entire arena echoed with the sound of the large globe hitting the ground, and dust was kicked up all around. Nearby the globe, it was impossible to see.
Rodney, who had landed only a few feet from the globe, rubbed his forehead and moaned. "I think I hurt my head," he said as he rubbed the paintball armor's helmet that covered his helmet. "Thank you, mom, for giving this to me."
He heard a moan, and what he saw made him shake with fright. Eva was standing up, but very slowly. "Oh man," she groaned, "the sky didn't fall on me, the world did."
Rodney squeaked in terror, and Eva noticed him. Snarling, she held up her hands in order to shoot him; it was only when there was no trigger to pull that she realized her gun wasn't in her hands.
"Damn it," she shouted, looking around. "Where the hell is it?"
Rodney swallowed hard, and began shooting. Eva was hit several times as she scrambled to find her paintball gun. When she did find it and turned around, her armor became heavy and her gun refused to work. Dropping the gun, she strained to grab Rodney, reaching out towards him, and then finally falling down.
"Beaten by a kid," she groaned. "A child! I'll never be able to show my face in public again."
"Don't feel like that now," Rodney said, looking down at her sympathetically. "I mean, look at it this way: I had to throw the whole world at you in order to beat you."
She couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I guess. Still, you popular kids really irked me today."
Before Rodney could reply, he heard more groaning nearby. The dust had cleared up enough for the prodigy to see Yoshi sitting up, rubbing his head. His injury had reopened, and blood come from it again. Wincing, he looked around for his paintball gun.
Rodney hurried over to him, and Yoshi saw the child approaching. He managed to snatch his gun, but could not lift it up before Rodney had his own paintball gun pointed pointblank at his chest. The kid was taking deep breaths, unable to hold the gun in a tight-enough grip.
"I... I never wanted it to come out like this," he said.
Yoshi sighed, his gun still pointed at the ground, not daring to lift it. "Hey kid., don't show sympathy for the enemy, okay? It's a kind of weakness that cost you the game in the future."
"But I don't want the game to be unfair!"
"Yeah, same here, Rodney-san. But the way I see it, if someone cheats, that makes it all the more satisfying when you defeat them."
Rodney managed to smile, then swallowed hard. He readied his paintball gun at Yoshi's chest. "I'm really sorry about having to do this to you."
Yoshi blinked, trying to keep the slight stream of blood out of his eyes. Then he grinned and said, "My words to you too."
Rodney didn't understand this until he heard the click of a paintball gun behind him, and the barrel pushing against his head. The prodigy child whimpered.
"Oh froofie."
BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT BLAT!!
When he was on the ground, Rodney looked up to see Izzy grinning down at him. "I didn't know you were still in the game," he said.
"Me too," Eva called out. "Joel said you were shot!"
"I was feigning death, I wasn't out yet," Izzy said simply, giggling. "I think I got the last shot on the kid."
"No, I did," Yoshi said, grinning happily. "He went down when you were reloading."
"Should've shot back, kid," Izzy said, squatting down and patting Rodney's shoulder. "You cannot let fear control you."
Rodney sighed, then he rubbed his sore head. He was surprised that his armor wasn't heavy like it was a few seconds ago, and then he sat up. "Hey, did I get really strong all of a sudden?"
"Ooo, he's like a mini-Hercules," Izzy cheered. "Look out, ladies! Hey, my little sister's your age, maybe I could introduce you to her-"
"AND THE CHALLENGE IS OVER," Chef Hatchet's voice boomed on the overhead system. "The winners are, with Izzy and Yoshi the last ones standing, the Nerds!!!"
The audience went wild, and Chef laughing and cheering into the microphone could also be heard. Izzy let out a happy cry, and glomp-hugged Yoshi. The walls of the labyrinth lowered, and the contestants from both sides were standing up now.
"We did it," Eva said as she stood up, a victorious grin on her face, "at last, after long long last, we freaks and geeks beat those stupid popular jerks!"
"Izzy is so happy! I gotta go find Ezekiel and Owen! Yay!"
The redhead bounded off happily, waving her paintball gun in the air. Eva also walked off, looking for Cody. Yoshi stood where he was, basking in the loud cheers from the audience; he then looked down at Rodney, who was still sitting down and looking glum.
"I think I really failed," he said with a sigh. He looked up at the sky and said, "First time I lead, and we lose."
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Yoshi said to him. "You only had two opponents standing at the end, and you yourself took down Eva."
He extended his hand to Rodney and helped him up, then shook his head. "A good battle, young one. You make a fine leader."
Rodney blushed. "D'awww, shucks," he giggled, rubbing the back of his head.
(Janitor's Closet - Where all the great leaders ponder.)
Rodney - "Looking back, I think I did okay. Wasn't really my fault that no one came my way when I was hunting... but I take the criticism and loss, and I vow to make myself stronger! I will continue to get better at this, and be a worthy opponent of Yoshi!"
Yoshi - \smiling\ "Well, that was very satisfying. That Rodney kid does need more guts, and to develop a little more brawn when it comes to dealing with unfair tactics, but his heart is in the right place."
Noah - \scowling and crossing his arms\ "Aren't I supposed to be Rodney's rival? I have the brains, not that sword-using samurai!"
Sandra - \coated in paint, welts on her skin\ "... I'm getting a lawyer."
The forty-two contestants were gathered up on the podium, with Chris Maclean and Chef Hatchet standing in front of them. Everyone had discarded their armor, but there was still a good deal of paint, bruises, and welts on everyone. Friends and couples were helping each other by scratching and rubbing off paint, and applying ice packs to the injuries.
"Well, that was all very good and fun," Chris Maclean, with an upset frown on his face, said to the collection of teenagers.
"Yeah, we all had a jolly good laugh," Crystal remarked as she rubbed her forehead, a nasty welt on her temple.
"Though there is a great deal of cheating going on," the host continued. "So I don't know if we can declare the nerds the winners.
Immediately, all the members of the nerd team and several of the popular kids began to protest.
"You can't do that, after all we went through," Mandy shouted.
"They won the game, it's only fair," Bridgette cried out.
"Idiot," Harold cursed. "You were the first one to cheat!"
"Look at it this way," Noah said, stepping up to Chris. "You and Sandra cheated for the popular kids, Duncan and Joel cheated for the nerds. Two people on each side, therefore it's even."
"Fine! Fine," Chris shouted, throwing his hands up in defeat. "Nerds win! There, you happy?"
The nerds were indeed happy, and hugged other in celebration. The crowd cheered, and a good deal of the popular kids clapped for them. Chris sulkingly turned away, as Chef grinned and held out his hand. The host grudgingly took a hundred dollars from his wallet, and handed it to Chef.
"And what do the nerds win, as well as immunity?" Chef asked the host, loud enough for the contestants to hear.
"They get to keep the paintball guns."
More cheers and laughter ensued. Some of the nerds pumped their paintball guns up in the air.
"Well, that's nice," Hannah said, looking at her paintball gun. "Not exactly something I'll do occasionally, but it's nice."
"Sweet, I always wanted one of these, but they're so expensive," Carol gushed.
Chris scoffed. "I guess it's a fitting reward for the nerds!"
"Hey, Chris?"
The host turned to see Harold, Yoshi, and Joel pointing their new paintball guns at him. Three BLATS later, the host was on the ground with three fresh paint marks on his chest, leg, and in his hair.
"Don't ever try to throw the competition again," Yoshi barked.
"That felt so good," Joel said, grinning.
Chef laughed and clapped his hands. "Well done, team! Now, popular kids, you all lost! You stand there with paint on your face, you big disgrace, somebody just you all into your place!"
"Whatever," Sandra grumbled.
"And don't you start," Chef roared, blowing her hair back with the force of his voice. "You're in big trouble for coming back here, you and the punk!"
"What punk?" Beth asked.
Chef looked around, but could not see Duncan anywhere. "Aw crap, he's already flown the coop," he snarled. "Never mind, you'll just do his punishment too!"
He grabbed the back of Sandra's shirt collar and dragged her off, saying, "You're cleaning up the dishes and getting dinner ready for tonight!"
Sandra wailed and moaned, but it did her no good. Chris Maclean stood up, and brushed himself off. "Well then," the host said, "time I think to pick the immunity winners for the losing team!"
"Is there a follow-up challenge?" Arthur asked.
"Nope!"
"That's so lame," he growled.
"Oh deal with it, we haven't got the budget."
"You built an entire stadium!"
"Moving on," the host said, quickly changing the subject, "it's time for the winners of the losers to be picked. Rodney, please come up here."
The prodigy child, who was busy scratching paint of his helmet, stepped forward. "Yes?" he asked politely.
"As the last one standing on the popular team," Chris said as he handed the same electronic device he gave Anita on the first challenge, "you need to pick nine people out of your team to share immunity."
"Do the ones I don't pick have to watch that bad movie?"
"No, that has been deemed too cruel and unusual, even by this show's standards."
Arthur let out a very relieved sigh. "Oh thank you, sweet merciful God."
Rodney looked down at the console, up at his teammates, then pressed a few buttons. "I hope people won't hate me if I pick them," he said sadly.
"Just for a few years, not too long, little dude," Geoff said, winking.
Chris took the console and shook it. "After scrambling the results, here they are at random. Rodney, you picked for immunity...
...
...
...
"Anita."
"Aww, thank you," the raven haired beauty said, picking Rodney up and hugging him.
"I think it's only fair, since you gave me immunity last time," he said. "And you're really nice."
"Stop being mushy," the host snapped, "that doesn't make for good TV, when people are nice to each other!"
"Shut up," Anita said sweetly as she put Rodney down.
"Next up for immunity is...," Chris paused for more dramatic effect.
"Xander!" The rebel smiled and high-fived (well, low-fived for with Rodney) the prodigy child.
"Bridgette!" The surfer girl hugged Rodney as well.
"Sebastian!" The philosopher corrected his glasses and smiled.
"Geoff!" The party animal not only hugged Rodney, but his girlfriend too.
"Crystal!" The romantic spun herself in a circle in celebration.
"Courtney!" The CIT looked surprised at first, then shook Rodney's hand in thanks.
"Lindsay!" The blond squealed happily and hugged Rodney as well. At this point, the guys were getting rather jealous of the prodigy.
"And finally, the last pick for immunity is...
...
...
...
...
...
"Heather!"
"Heather?!" many of the contestants repeated incredulously.
"Me?" Heather asked, looking just as astonished. "Seriously."
"Yeah," Rodney said, tapping his fingers together nervously, since everyone looked shocked and he interpreted this as bad. "I didn't want Ezekiel to worry."
"But he's unconscious," Leshawna remarked, pointing as said unconscious prairie boy.
"I know, but if Heather was voted off before he could recover, he'd be really sad. I just wanted to be nice to both of them."
There was silence for a little bit, broken by Heather. "Um, well," she said, rubbing her arm, "thanks, kid."
(Janitor's Closet - No one picked us again. Sigh.)
Heather - "No one except Ezekiel has done something like that for me." \She sighs and shakes her head.\ "That kid... now why couldn't I have someone like him as a little brother instead of the monster I got?"
Bridgette - "Boy, if the kid can be nice to Heather, maybe I can too, huh?"
Courtney - "I think maybe Rodney picked me despite my poor job during the competition, but because he realizes that I am intelligent and dutiful like him, and that he wants positive role models around him."
Rodney - "Courtney reminds me of one of my teachers in high school. She was really nice, and then she ran off with a criminal who was on parole." \He shrugs.\ "Maybe the same thing'll happen here, I dunno."
Anita - "I still wonder if it is possible to adopt that kid." \She laughs.\
"Okay, time for the remaining losers to go vote for who they want while the winners and immunity people go have dinner," Chris Maclean said. "That means the losers are Tyler, DJ, Howard, Justin, Valerie, Daisy, Jasmine, Trent, Zachary, Leshawna, and Arthur."
"This so could have gone better," Justin complained as he looked in a hand mirror.
"I'll say," DJ remarked.
"I dunno, I had fun," Daisy said, cracking her fingers. "Next time, I hope to be on the other team. I'm much more of a freak than a popular girl."
"Why does that not surprise me?" Valerie remarked, grabbing Zachary's arm and pulling him to the side.
Tyler kicked at the ground. "Man, just once, I'd love to dominate a sports game, you know?"
"Oh, this woeful life we lead," Jasmine exclaimed, her hands over her heart. "Where the nerds and ugly people win over us! It's like What's-His-Name said, 'To be or not the other.' We did not be, and therefore we're not."
"Jasmine," Tyler growled, gripping his headband. "Shut. Up."
"Don't talk to me like that!"
"I'll talk however I want! You want to talk about not being? You failed today!"
"I failed?! You're the one who trips over his own feet!"
"Please stop yelling," Trent said. "It's getting on my nerves."
"Tell the over actor here that!"
"I'm the over actor? You're the one who's the actress, if I'm not mistaken!"
"Jasmine, girlfriend, knock it off," Leshawna groaned.
"You white people, trying to shut her up," Zachary shouted back at them. "I'm gonna report this racism!"
"Someone's going to be reporting my foot up their butt if you all keep this up," Arthur growled.
(Janitor's Closet - Where do you report that too?)
DJ - "Can't we all just get along?"
The winners all were enjoying dinner, mostly because Katie and Sadie had shoved Chef out of the kitchen (he didn't mind too much, since they gave him an extra-large portion of ice cream with sugar and a cherry on top).
Joel was chatting with Hannah, explaining how Vera worked. Despite only half-understanding him, she was a good listener. When he was done, she talked to him about her home and community, which seemed more fair, because Joel could understand all of it.
Leshawna was trying to keep Harold's attention, but he kept glancing at Lindsay. After a slap upside the head, he paid full attention to his girlfriend.
Mandy, seated next to Hannah, noticed several people looking at her strangely, and not the normal strange type of looks she was used to. She also noticed people kept looking at Hannah too, though the religious girl didn't notice because she was talking happily with Joel.
The straw that broke her back was when Colin walked by, and he snickered when he saw her. "I heard you were disgusted when Justin turned on the charm," he remarked.
She flipped him off and continued to eat. He scoffed, and added, "Guess that means you really do want to hump the Bible thumper."
Silence broke out at this remark, as if time stood still. Mandy clutched her plastic spork so tightly, she snapped it in half.
"I'm not gay," she shouted. "Now get out of my face before I carve yours off and hang it up in my room as a souvenir!"
"And believe me, she'll do it too," Noah remarked.
Colin rolled his eyes and walked off to get seconds on his dinner, passing Yoshi and Alfred along the way. The two were seated, Alfred wrapping a bandage around the warrior's head. Yoshi glared at the bully as he went by them.
"What an asshole," he grumbled, and not too quietly.
"Amen," Alfred agreed. "He cannot possibly stay in this competition much longer, the way he's going."
"I don't understand why Chris picked him. He cannot possibly endure with his antisocial attitude, all he'll do is aggravate people."
"You just answered your own question, dude."
"Hmm, guess I did."
Alfred finished wrapping the bandage around his head, and patted his back. "There you are, all good."
"Thank you very much."
"No problem! Though if Daisy were here, she probably would have done it instead of me."
Yoshi flushed ever-so-slightly and looked away. Alfred wiggled his eyebrows, and said, "Do you like her?"
"I didn't join this competition to start dating."
"Suit yourself, dude. Then is it okay if I try to ask her out?"
"Do what you want. I'm here to compete, and I want to win."
"And you sure proved you could do that today. You really rocked."
The other one who rocked, Izzy, was seated next to Owen and Ezekiel, though she was ignoring Owen for the most part. Ezekiel noticed this, and cleared his throat.
"I have to got get some ice cream, eh," he said. As he walked behind Owen, he elbowed the big guy slightly.
"Oh, um," Owen stammered as he turned to his girlfriend, "Izzy? I'm sorry about knocking Ezekiel around."
"I don't think I'm the one you should be apologizing too," she said, keeping her eyes closed and her nose upturned. "That person should be Ezekiel, and any of his imaginary friends."
"I don't know about his friends, but I did apologize to him," Owen explained. "He said it was okay, but he wanted me to apologize to you too."
"Really?" Izzy asked, then she smiled. "Well, if he forgives you for the mild concussion, I guess I can too!"
She hugged him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Izzy just wants to remind you that it's all good and fun until you knock someone out."
"Right, sorry! So you do forgive me?"
"Yep yep!"
"Can we aim for second base tonight?"
"Don't push it."
"Sorry!"
Ezekiel walked back, saw Izzy and Owen making up, and smiled to himself. He went and sat next to his girlfriend, who was sitting alone at the time. "Ice cream?" he offered as he sat down next to him.
"I... don't think so," she remarked. "Way too sweet."
"Aw, come on, eh," he protested. "You only live once, and I think doo'ring these tough challenges, you should relax a little."
Heather took a deep breath, and had a spoonful. She leaned against Ezekiel, and asked, "I still don't know why Rodney gave me an immunity pass. Kids usually hate me."
"He doesn't, eh. Doo'nt woo'ry a'boot it."
He kissed her cheek, and she couldn't help but smile. She loved it when his accent really stood out.
Geoff and Bridgette were making out nearby, and Xander walked by. "You two look happy, kissing away the welts."
Bridgette broke away long enough to say, "Yep! Sure does keep the mind off the swelling."
"Sure is," Geoff exclaimed, flashing a thumbs-up at Xander. "Someday in the future, if we get married, we could go paintballing just as an excuse to make out!"
Xander chuckled and walked off. Geoff grinned at Bridgette, but she didn't seem as enthusiastic; she actually looked a little nervous and awkward now.
(Janitor's Closet - Lesolc S'rotinag)
Geoff - "Isn't Bridgette just the best?"
Izzy - "Isn't Ezekiel just the best? And Owen, Owen's the best too!"
Owen - "Isn't Izzy the best?"
Alfred - "Isn't Yoshi the best?"
Mandy - "The next time Colin makes a remark like that, I'm going to-"
\We apologize for this, but for the sake of our younger audiences, we have the censor out Mandy's words.\
Mandy - \You cannot hear what she says, but she making breaking, hooking, and gouging movements. Then she pulls out her sacrificial dagger and makes slashing movements around her wrists, neck, and groin. The camera cuts to static when she picks up a large scythe and starts swinging that around, still shouting threats.\
The eleven losers were all seated apart from the thirty-one immune contestants. The crowd was cheering as Chris Maclean took to his podium on the platform. He waved to the roaring fans.
"Welcome to our third trophy ceremony," Chris Maclean exclaimed, pumping his fists. "This one should be rather startling! Let's give a cheer for the ones you hope to stay for another challenge, at the least!"
The crowd began chanting names, really hard to hear specific ones except by those who were really loud. Some of the losers reacted to this, fidgeting and looking around.
Tyler was glaring at Jasmine, who sneered right back. Valerie was boring holes into the back of the jock's head, but she was grinning viciously. DJ was glancing over at Zachary, who didn't seem to look too worried. Trent was twiddling his thumbs, humming "Love Potion #9." Justin's handsome face was tightened in a furious scowl at Zachary as well, his beautiful hands clenching.
"Well, we have eleven contestants, and only ten survivors," Chris Maclean said. "Forty-one beautiful gold trophies here, one short of the total contestants."
"Thanks," Clive grumbled. "We're just completely incapable of understanding this after every time we've seen this."
"He does it to annoy you," Belinda said softly.
"No," Chris exclaimed. "Well, yes."
Belinda licked her finger and stroked an imaginary "point" in the air. The clairvoyant sat back and relaxed, looking at the trophies. These had the icon of a paintball gun was imprinted on all of them.
"Let me hand out the trophies to each of the winners and those immune," the host said. He and Chef Hatchet started to pass out the trophies to said people, while the losers were exchanging glares, worried glances, and frustrated sighs. Only Trent seemed unfazed, humming "9 to 5" as he watched Chris.
The host noticed this, and he turned to Trent. "Nervous?"
"Slightly. But I know I played well, and no one has any reason to blame me."
"Same here," Leshawna said. "Still, you never know on this show."
"Yeah, you're right," Trent remarked, shrugging. "Well, I still am sure."
"Well then, it's time to announce those who have immunity," Chris announced. "And the first one goes to...
...
...
...
...
...
"Trent!"
"Told ya," the musician said, smiling satisfactory. He caught it when it was thrown at him, then hugged Gwen in victory.
"Next is Leshawna!"
"Knew it," the sister said. Jasmine reached over to hug her, which she returned, and almost missed the trophy when it was thrown at her.
"Trophies go next to... DJ! Howard! Daisy! Justin! And Valerie!"
The five losers caught their trophies, all smiling triumphantly. The host juggled one more of the trophies in his hands.
"The next one goes to... Arthur!"
Arthur let out a sigh of relief and caught his trophy. He looked back at the remaining three to see their reaction.
Tyler clenched his fists hard. Jasmine chewed on her upper lip. Zachary ground his teeth.
"Who's not getting a trophy?" Chris sang as he held up a trophy in both hands.
Lindsay whimpered, looking close to tears as she looked at Tyler; Ezekiel was almost as close to losing it as well. Leshawna drummed her fingers together nervously, and Howard bit his fist. No one was worried over Zachary.
"The loser of you three... the one going home... is...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
"Jasmine!"
The two remaining trophies were caught by Tyler and Zachary. They both exhaled in relief, while Jasmine gasped in horror.
"Damn it," Valerie cursed under her breath.
"Damn it all," Justin grumbled.
"Damn it, no," Jasmine wailed, standing up and throwing her fists into the air. "This cannot be! This soon, this dramatic, this heartless? Must you, could you, should you?"
"Oh God, she's still going at it," Tyler cried out, covering his ears.
"You mustn't, you uncultured assholes! I will never stand for such an outrage."
"Jasmine, girl, get a grip," Leshawna shouted, grabbing her friend's shoulder. "It's not the end of the world!"
"Yes it is! The world, the galaxy, the universe! The world will never know my talent, my charm! The horrors, the tragedy, the drama! Oh, the horrors!!"
"Get her on the God damn bus already," Daisy growled. "Where is that bus?"
"I hope Duncan got to it on time," Arthur remarked. "Otherwise, we're stuck with..."
"The mitigated gall of the audacity of the nerve," Jasmine continued to wail. "I shot several people, including Leshawna's deadbeat boyfriend."
"Oh! Oh no, you didn't," Leshawna shouted, glaring at her friend. "You did not just insult my man!"
"Gosh," Harold said. "And I was just starting to feel sorry for her."
"She can really rant, can't she?" Katie said to Noah.
"I know people like that on MMORPGs," he replied. "They're why the mute button was created."
"And the horrible, terrible, almost-murderous destruction of my dignity and honor," Jasmine carried on. "You evil, washed-up has-been!"
"Hey, I didn't vote for you," Chris declared. He began to look around frantically. "Jeez, where is that bus?!"
The bus came up at those words, Duncan at the wheel. Sandra, stained with paint and soggy from washing dishes for hours, looked miserable in the back. She had just been saying to Duncan how the day couldn't get any worse.
"Who lost?" Duncan asked as he opened up the bus door.
"It's like that Shake Spears said," Jasmine screamed, " 'Give me liberty or give me rest'!"
"Her, right?"
"Jeepers," Joel said, "she must be upset, she's saying utter nonsense."
"No, she always talks like that," Leshawna remarked. "Why do you think back home, we call her Jasmine 'Dramine' Queen?
"Now c'mon, Jasmine, on the bus," she added as she shoved her friend.
"Wait," Howard shouted, getting up at last. "Can't I say good-bye?"
"Nope, got to get her on the bus," Chris remarked quickly.
"But... but...," Howard stammered as Jasmine was pushed onto the bus, "but who's going to help me hook up with Belinda?!"
Belinda raised an eyebrow at this, while Howard tried to get on the bus. Leshawna was busy trying to get Jasmine all the way onto the bus. "Where can I put my basket case on this bus?"
"Next to bubble gum girl," Duncan suggested, grinning wickedly.
"What? NO," Sandra screamed from the back.
"Oh, my sister in agony," Jasmine screamed, gripping her arm and hugging her fully. "You know my torment, you know my grief! The injustice of it all makes me want to throw up, how about you?"
"Leave."
"Yes, actually! Alone, wanting to be apart from the world," she cried, gripping Sandra tighter.
Leshawna dusted off her hands and stepped off the bus, pulling Howard off too. "C'mon, white boy, let's go."
"Wait, Jasmine," Howard called out.
"Trust me, you don't want to-"
"Jasmine," Howard pounded on the side of the bus. "I'll miss you! If I can, I'd love to see one of your plays one day!"
"Would you?" Jasmine asked, climbing over Sandra and peeking out the window. "That's so sweet of you! I'll miss, and best of luck with her!"
"Thank you!"
The bus roared off, with Jasmine going back to wailing and clinging to a very upset Sandra.
(Janitor's Closet - Total Drama Jasmine, eh?)
Leshawna - "Am I upset Jasmine got voted off? Somewhat. Though annoying and she does brag a lot, she's one of my girlfriends, and I've known her since childhood. But I knew she wouldn't last long."
Howard - "Man, Jasmine was hot. And funny. And tough. I really wish she could have stayed. I would love her help in courting Belinda."
Belinda - \smirking, rolling her eyes\ "Naughty man, that guy."
Tyler - "Oh thank you, sweet merciful God. My ears are starting to stop ringing. That girl has nothing on jets taking off, or entire stadiums roaring!"
(Room 7 - Joel, Justin, Katie)
Joel looked around the room, and was quite startled to see all of Jasmine's belongings, including the photos on the wall, were gone. "How wonderful! A third of all those eyes staring at me when I sleep are gone!"
"I suppose that means Justin and I are your next targets?" Katie asked, smiling jokingly.
"Nah, I think I can stand this many eyes," Joel remarked. "So, where's Justin?"
Katie began to giggle, and when it lasted for about a minute, Joel had an idea.
(Room 2 - Beth, Bridgette, Carol, Clive)
Justin was helping apply ice packs to Beth's face, on her the painful welts. "I'll get that Zachary guy for doing this to you."
"No, please don't. I don't want you to be hurt," Beth pleaded. "I'd hate for him to hurt your beautiful face."
"I think, even if it could bring damage to my face, I'd risk it to avenge you."
Carol let out a loud, "AWWWW," and Clive gave a little golf clap. Justin shrugged, and helped apply the ice to another welt on Beth's face.
"Just please, don't fight him. I'd hate for you to get hurt," Beth said.
"I'll be careful," Justin promised her, kissing the place he had been applying the ice to.
"Oh, don't do that," Beth requested, giggling and blushing like crazy. "The cold part's now really hot."
Carol let out another loud swoon, kicking her feet up in the air. Clive merely raised and eyebrow and turned away.
"Do they remember there are other people in this room?" he grumbled.
"I don't mind," Carol gushed, giggling impishly. She was laying down on her bed, watching directly.
"How about Bridgette? Bridgette might... wait, where is Bridgette?"
(Stadium Cafeteria)
Bridgette was wearing her night clothing, sitting down, and sipping tea from a coffee mug. She looked deeply concerned about something, and anyone with half a brain would be able to understand by looking at her.
Luckily, the person to enter the cafeteria next was Ezekiel, who had a full brain. He didn't even see Bridgette, he could sense her worry, and turned towards her. "Bridgette? What's wrong, eh?"
"Oh, it's nothing, really."
All that was said beforehand would implicate that there was no way Ezekiel believed that.
He sat down across from her. "You want to talk a'boot it?"
"Wouldn't your roommates worry about you?"
"Geoff was trying to get us all 'oot for some reason, but it's no good, eh. Gwen was gonna be in Trent's room, but the guys' room is such a mess that she cannot stand it. And Hannah was thinking of being in Katie and Joel's room, but the amount of eyes from the pictures on the walls freak her 'oot a little."
Bridgette chuckled, but halfheartedly. "Oh, Geoff," she said softly. "Bet he wanted to spend some time with me."
Ezekiel nodded, then his eyes widened. His jaw dropped, and he tried desperately to shut it. Before he could shake away the wide eyes, Bridgette noticed. "No, we're not having sex, Zekey," she said, laughing a little again.
"Oh, phew. Erk! I mean-"
"It's okay, I know what you meant by all that," she said, giggling. "But Ezekiel... he was talking about marriage."
"Really? Were things going... um... big between you in-between seasons?"
"I think you mean 'heavy,' Zekey. And not that much... I just... it's so sudden," she said. "He's talking about marriage, and we're only seventeen, and we haven't argued that much, and we-"
"Whoa whoa whoa, Bridgette," Ezekiel waved his hands. "You're starting to s'hoot, eh."
"Sorry. I just," she leaned against the table. "I don't think we're anywhere near that kind of level in our relationship."
Ezekiel nodded, and the two began to talk more. As they continued to talk about her problem, Heather approached the doorway. She saw them talk, heard a few things, and then walked away in a huff. She almost felt like tears were coming to her eyes, but shook them away.
"You know he loves you."
Heather froze when she saw Crystal nearby the entrance. "What do you want?" she snarled.
"Ezekiel and Bridgette are just friends," Crystal continued. "You should not worry about them."
"Oh please," Heather threw her hands up, walking around in a circle. "We all know he had a crush on her, eh!"
Crystal giggled. "You even talk like him at times."
"I cannot help it. But anyway! You know he had a crush on her, maybe still has!"
"It's true, possibly. But he's seeing you, she's seeing someone else, and they're both responsible and moral. They're just friends and will stay that way."
"Oh really now?" Heather spat. "Boys and girls just friends? Even with attraction between them?"
"I have three guy friends back home," Crystal said, holding up three fingers to accent the point. "I love them, attracted to them a good deal of the time, and there's no way any of them could be my friends. Doesn't stop me from having a crush on them."
"Why don't you hook up with them? They taken?"
"Nope. One has completely different opinions on current events, one loves Mexican food (which I hate), and one's gay."
Heather blinked, then sighed. "I really don't know. I mean, I don't want-"
"Do you really think Bridgette would try to steal your boyfriend?"
"What? Well, you never know-"
"Bridgette," Crystal repeated. "You know what she's like, you know what he's like. Think about it long and hard, Heather."
Colin peeped out of his room. "They're so gonna be banging each other, Ms. Insecure!"
Crystal, without looking behind her, slammed the door on his face. Putting her hand on Heather's shoulder, she led her away.
"Heather," she said, smiling pleasantly despite having rammed a door in a guy's face less than a minute ago, "I really support you and Ezekiel. You both have changed, evolved, and I know you two care about each other a lot. Bridgette and he are just friends, and you should accept that friendship."
"Why?"
"Because everyone needs friends. If you restrict yourself to one person, you would have too much pent-up frustration after a while. Ezekiel needs to talk to someone about you."
"To bad mouth me?"
"To discuss how to make your relationship work better, and many other things."
Heather sighed. "Fine. I guess I can accept Bridgette."
"Good, and Izzy too."
"Izzy?" Heather asked, her eyes widening. "I have to accept her too?!"
(Janitor's Closet - Seems like an ezzy proposition to me.)
Izzy - \listening to the conversation through the door\ "Hehe. She damn well better."
Groucho the Duck - "That was a great fight. I need a cigar."
--
(Voting Confessions)
Tyler - "Jasmine! I cannot stand her! She's been shouting and wailing and bragging about being in plays that even I know she's getting wrong! And I used to think Shakespeare was famous for writing tragedies, comedies, and errors!"
DJ - "Zachary's not cool. I don't like cruelty, at all, and he's very cruel. And whiny. My mom would pelt him with a cabbage if she heard him speak."
Howard - "Man, I'm just gonna vote for Arthur. I like the girls, and most of the guys are okay. I think that Arthur has something to hide."
Justin - "No one, NO ONE, hurts my Beth! I don't care if he's black or white, strong or weak, rich or poor, hot or not, I want him out of here! Or I might just get one of those paintball guns and get him in the face a few times in revenge."
Valerie - "Time for me to make my first big move. We're going to vote off Tyler, because that creep is not talented and he'll get in the way. How many people would miss him?"
Daisy - "Man, I like Leshawna, but her friend is a pain in my butt. I gotta vote for Jasmine before I throttle a fellow sister."
Jasmine - "Tyler's a creep. He's got to go! He doesn't even know any of Shakespeare's tragedies, comedies, or his errors!"
Trent - "I am good friends with Leshawna, but... her friend is really annoying. I never knew anyone could brag that much and be so wrong at the same time."
Zachary - "Valerie says Tyler has got to go. One more white boy gone ain't gonna matter anyway."
Leshawna - "That Zachary creep is whining and complaining too much! And then he attacks my poor Beth? No no no, he did'ant!!"
Arthur - "I have a feeling that either Tyler, Jasmine, or Zachary will go, depending on the hostilities built up. I'm gonna vote for Jasmine, because..." \he shudders\ "... her voice makes me want to maul something. Like Juggernaut tearing up a building... no, better yet, the Hulk!!"
\He stops, then sighs. \ "You know, if I keep making these comments in here, I might accidentally let them slip when I come out of the closet."
\He stops again, then slaps his forehead.\ "I cannot believe I just said that."
--
--
--
Elimination (those who gained the last shot):
Alfred - Geoff. (1)
Anita - Sadie, Owen. (2)
Arthur - Katie, Carol. (2)
Carol - Leshawna. (1)
Chris Maclean - Joel. (1)
Cody - Trent. (1)
Daisy - Hannah. (1)
Eva - Anita, Xander, Tyler, Daisy, Arthur. (5)
Harold - Lindsay. (1)
Heather - Clive. (1)
Howard - Sakaki, Gwen. (2)
Izzy - Courtney, Howard, Jasmine. (3)
Jasmine - Alfred, Mandy, Harold. (3)
Joel - Chris Maclean. (1)
Lindsay - Noah, Colin. (2)
Mandy - Justin. (1)
Owen - Ezekiel. (1)
Rodney - Eva. (1)
Sakaki - Bridgette. (1)
Sebastian - Belinda. (1)
Yoshi - Valerie, DJ, Heather, Sebastian, Zachary, Sandra, Rodney. (7)
Zachary - Beth. (1)
--
Votes:
Tyler - Jasmine
DJ - Zachary
Howard - Arthur
Justin - Zachary
Valerie - Tyler
Daisy - Jasmine
Jasmine - Tyler
Trent - Jasmine
Zachary - Tyler
Leshawna - Zachary
Arthur - Jasmine
--
Jasmine - 4
Zachary - 3
Tyler - 3
Arthur - 1
--
Voted Off - Sandra, Duncan, Jasmine.
Next Up: Frequent Flyer Wiles!