DISCLAIMER:

Hello again, the contest has officially started, and Dakota is the first to tell her story. I don't expect anyone will be surprised about his partner.

Now, remember, the story is told in Dakota's POV so some details may or may not be accurate.

Total Drama belongs to Fresh TV, its creators, and distributors. I don't own anything from the properties used in this fic

Dakota story

The girls sat next to each other in the middle of the bus. Three on seats looking backward, and the other girls in front of them. Dakota was nervous as the others looked at her, some with curiosity and others with annoyance.

"So the first story is Paris Faketon and the couch potato. We have a winner here," said Jo in a snarky tone.

"Hey, don't insult Sam," Zoey pointed at her. "He may need to work out a bit more, but there is no need to call him names."

Dakota raised an eyebrow, unsure if Zoey was defending her boyfriend or insulting him too. "Yes, if we're doing this, we need like to respect each other, so stop the name-calling."

"Relax grass hair, it was just a zinger, not an insult," said the jockette, rolling her eyes. "If I wanted to insult him, I would call him…."

"Ok, that's enough," said Dawn, raising her voice. "Let's keep that negative vibes to a minimum."

Staci nodded. "I heartily agree, as my great grand aunt Mona used to say, only with respect…"

"Yes, we must respect each other, got it," said Anne Maria, filing her nails. "You can start, Dakota. The sooner you tell your story, the sooner I'll tell the winner one."

"I'll not be so sure," Dakota smirked and took a small mint to refresh her throat. "So, without further ado, here is my story."

As you know, I started dating Sam during our season. I accept our first interactions weren't on the right foot. He wanted to bond with me, and I saw him like a bit pushy … and annoying.

But he began to show a sweet side, like the time he agreed we were nothing alike or looking for me to give him some advice to dress that ugly ape thing during the fashion contest. That's when I realized I wanted to know him better and maybe start something.

However, the decisive moment was when I became sick and turned into a mutant. I was like totally worried about him being buried that I forgot how ugly I looked, so I rescued him without thinking. But Sam didn't mind my appearance and still wanted to date me, so we started going out together.

Annotation: Anne Maria

"That's something I never understood. I get you were grateful toward him, but you really needed to date him?" Asked Anne Maria, pointing her file at Dakota. "I mean, you could stay as friends."

Dakota giggled. "I didn't like thought about the pros and cons of dating Sam. I totally fell for his straightforward and nice personality and how he acknowledged me for my personality and not only my looks or my family."

"I'm proud you outgrew the materialistic values you were taught and began to appreciate people by the important things," said Dawn putting a hand on Dakota's shoulder.

"Oh, thank youuu," Dakota forced a smile, not understanding half of what Dawn said… "So, as I was saying…"

As I was saying, the weeks in the resort were awesome, and our bond strengthened. However, things were different when we went back to the real world. My family was devastated by what happened to me and wasn't prepared to accept Sam, and Sam's family thought I couldn't make him happy in my current state.

We had to choose between our family or staying together, so we ran away and began living on our own. The idea was to live from his metube channel and our savings.

Annotation: Zoey

"That was harsh," said Zoey, sniffing. "I can't believe your parents didn't support you."

Dakota sighed. "To be fair with papa, we didn't give them an option. As soon as we realize neither of our families would accept our relationship, we run away." She chuckled and hugged her legs, "we didn't try to convince them and thought we could live by ourselves with the money we get from Cameron and Sam's channel."

"Oh, c'mon, run away? Being a 10 feet orange monster? There was no way you could hide from your old man even if you wanted."

"JO! That's rude," said Zoey, frowning at the jockette.

"Don't worry, Jo's right," said Dakota making a sad smile. "Actually, my parents knew where we were living all the time, and I suppose Sam's parents too, but they like hoped we would give up and return home after a few days."

Dawn looked at Dakota and patted her shoulder again. "Your aura shows dark blue spots. I guess those were hard times."

"It wasn't so bad, after all we love each other and were betting on our feelings to surpass any hardship," Dakota shrugged and cleared her throat. "We were pretty stupid, but at that time, even if it was short, it helped us forge our relationship even more."

With our savings, we rented an apartment in south Toronto. Sam filled all the papers so my papa couldn't use them to find us.

It was hard for me to adapt to our new life. My size was a problem, and my tail also kept knocking off everything, Sam was also stressed because his channel wasn't doing well. So after 2 weeks, we had a serious talk about our future.

"Sam, Dakota help too," I told him, sitting on the floor next to him.

"You already help me a lot just saying those words," said Sam, forcing a smile, but the dark circles under his eyes said otherwise. "Don't worry, I already have 1100 subscribers. It's just a matter of time before my channel takes off."

"NO! Dakota make money too, Dakota help Sam," I said, punching the ground. I stopped after the first hit, afraid I may make a hole in the ground.

My Sam wanted to argue, but he knew I was right, so he opened his laptop and started looking into it. "Ok, let me search for some job offers in this area that are suitable for you."

I clapped happily. One of Sam's many talents is that he's so resourceful, he always like have a solution for any problem.

"Ok what about being a waitress? There are some offers here, and their work is basically being good at many mini-games," said Sam, smirking.

"Dakota afraid tail hit people and break tables," I said, trying to explain Sam my concerns in the best way I could

Sam nodded. "You're right. How about working as a house aid?"

"House aid?" I asked, not familiar with that job.

"Yes, you know, a person that helps clean, make beds, sweep," Sam mimicked as if he was sweeping.

"MAID!" I shouted after realizing what a house aid was.

Annotations: Anne Maria

"Maid? Really? I sometimes forgot you're filthy rich," said Anne Maria, glaring. "And no I don't envy you…" She looked at her nails and sighed. "Ok maybe I envy you a little."

"Yes, a house aid is like the maids in video games, but in real life," said Sam, chuckling. "You would need to do the laundry."

"Dry cleaner?" I mean, you usually send most of your clothes to a dry cleaner, no?

Sam Shrugged. "I guess they use a washing machine instead. You also need to sweep, mop, and wash the hard floor."

"Mopping and sweeping no same thing?" I asked, crossing my arms. How was I supposed to know one was cleaning the dust and the other was washing the floor?

"You know something Dakota? Maybe house aid isn't for you, and the pay is low anyway," said Sam, chuckling again. "What about work as a nanny?"

Sometime later, Sam told me he imagined me ripping the door of a small boy's room, who looked at her with wide eyes. The kid then screamed and fainted with his mouth covered in foam. After that, the parents run to the room and also faint, their mouths filled with foam. That's why he decided to reject this offer.

"Forget about it," said Sam, chuckling nervously.

Annotations: Staci

"My great, great, great, great … great, grandmother Anna was the first nanny, before her, only the parents took care of their children, and we know that is disastrous, ya," said Staci, raising a finger.

"Wow that's a lot of greats," said Dakota, chuckling.

Zoey rolled her eyes. "Because she's making it up."

"I'm not," Staci huffed, offended. "And there are many 'great' because my ancestor Anna lived in Ancient Greece and was actually a wet nurse because the term nanny wasn't coined until the 1700s."

"Yes of course, can't you Staci be quiet?" said Jo laughing. "Haha, anyway, we want to hear Paris Faketon's story, not yours."

Staci frowned. "I just wanted to say that I believe Dakota would do a good job as a nanny, even if Sam believed otherwise."

"Aw, thanks Staci," said Dakota, authentically moved by the comment. "Ehem, Sam and I …"

Sam and I looked through many offers, but none of them was a good fit.

"Maybe nurse aid? Nope, requires a college degree. Building worker? No, it's an overnight shift," said Sam, frowning.

"Dakota works nights, Dakota strong," I told him, smacking my chest. At that moment I like wanted to do any job.

Sam shook his head. "NO! We need a job that fits you, but also I want to spend time with you." Then his eyes sparkled. "How about wrestling?"

"Wrestling?" I asked, not sure what he was saying.

"Yes, like WWE 2K smackdown! There are some tryouts in three weeks. We need to send the app, but I'm sure they will get you," Sam said excitedly.

But I wasn't so sure. "Wrestle not dangerous?"

"Don't worry Dakota. I'm sure the only ones in danger will be your opponents," Sam laughed, winking.

I also laughed. To be fair, hearing him laugh is enough to make me happy.

Then Sam helped me to fill the app. At that moment, I didn't know what wrestling was, so Sam taught me all I needed to know.

I trained for the following weeks with him, learning the moves and how to air wrestle, which is wrestling without an opponent. We also played many hours of WWE 2K to help me with image training and to see the moves I could do.

Annotations: Jo

"WHAT? You were training to be an athlete, but couch potato told you to spend hours playing video games?" asked Jo, frowning in disbelief. "It's a damn miracle you got the job."

The video games were fine because I got to learn what wrestling was. After two weeks we receive the letter inviting me to the tryout. I was so happy that I accidentally dented the ceiling with my head while jumping excitedly.

We intensified the training and were ready for the tryouts, which were on the last Saturday of the month. We left for a big stadium in Queen City, not knowing what would happen.

We waited along with the rest of the applicants in front of the stadium. There was a big turmoil in the tryouts, with staff members running around and making phone calls. I was too nervous to mind them.

The worst part was the people's gazes as everyone looked at me with a mix of fear and annoyance. It hurt, but Sam was there, holding my hand, so I felt reassured.

After an hour they guided us inside and gave us our numbers. We were number 14. We couldn't see the other candidate's tryouts, so I got even more nervous.

Annotations: Anne Maria

"Girl, why are you saying 'we' all the time? You did the tryouts alone, didn't you?" asked Anne Maria, raising an eyebrow.

"She said that because Sam was with her all the time, so they were trying together. It shows how much Sam supported her," said Zoey, raising her head and smiling.

Anne Maria squinted at the redhead. "Nice comment, but I asked Dakota. I mean, I like your idea and whatever, but I could also make my own assumptions."

"Sorry," said Zoey looking at the floor.

"Don't apologize. The others will think I'm bullying you," said Anne Maria, moving her head rhythmically.

Dawn shook her head. "Not bullying, but you could tell her the same idea more nicely. Your words hurt Zoey."

The Jersey shore reject sighed, "Ok, I'm sorry, ok."

"No problem," said Zoey, mildly surprised Anne Maria apologized. Dawn beamed proudly.

"And answering your question, it's like Zoey said. I was so nervous, and Sam supported me so much I thought both were doing the tryout," said Dakota, winking at the redhead.

So when it was my turn, I went out and tried what I saw in the games. I raised both arms and shouted as I entered the stadium. And I landed in the middle of the ring in a single jump.

The judges seemed impressed. They were whispering among themselves even after I fell on the ring. One of them took the mic and talked. "Candidate number 14, Dakota Milton, your ring name is Dakotazoid, right?"

"DAKOTAZOID!" I shouted and made a summersault, heavily falling on the ring.

"Yes, Yes I like your enthusiasm, but you don't need to show us anything," said the judge. "Please follow me."

I nodded and followed the judge to a small office. The chairs were so small that I had to sit on the ground.

"Miss Milton, usually the tryout process is long and takes a few weeks. But after seeing your unique physique and talent, we want to make you a proposal," said the man, smiling.

"Proposal?" I asked, not sure what was happening. Did I fail the tryout?

He nodded. "We need you to fight tomorrow in the 3rd fight. The wrestler taking part had an accident, and we can't find a replacement. We'll pay you 150 dollars, and if you do a fine job, we'll hire you. What do you think?"

"Dakota accepts!" I shouted, standing up and accidentally hitting the ceiling with my head. "Ouch! Sorry."

"Don't worry, Miss Milton." He said and then shook my hand. "Please wait while we redact a provisional contact for tomorrow's match."

I nodded. "Bring Sam. Dakota wants Sam here."

"Sam?" the man tilted his head. "Oh! You brought a friend. Don't worry, he'll be escorted here."

In a moment they brought Sam to the office, who was jumping like a little child.

"I knew you could do it," he said and hugged me, "Congratulations Dakota."

"Not definitive, fight tomorrow," I told him, frowning as I was told him the bad news.

"Well, don't worry about it. After they see you in the ring, they'll sign you for sure, hehehe," said Sam enthusiastically.

They then brought us the contract. It was just for that one fight tomorrow and warranted some medical help in case of an accident. I signed, and we went back home.

Annotations: Jo

"That's not fair! They give you a chance because you were huge, not because you proved anything," said Jo, glaring at her.

"Well, that's life. Some chances are deserved, and others come by luck," said Staci, shrugging. "And personally, I think any 10 feet person deserves a chance in the ring."

Dawn rubbed her chin. "I somehow agree, but there is something in the way Staci phrased it that I feel isn't right."

"What the gals say, who cares? If she deserved it or whateva, she got it so good for her, don't be jealous," said Anne Maria, putting her hands on her hips.

"Jealous, me? Ha, that joke is better than your tan," said Jo, smirking.

Anne Maria glared at her, rolling an imaginary sleeve. "Are you disrespecting the tan?"

"Girls STOP!" shouted Zoey, standing between them. "We're supposed to be in the middle of a contest. If you want to fight, do it, but agree to forfeit and let the rest of us enjoy our stories."

Jo and Anne Maria glared at each other and then turned away.

"I'll stop, but not because you told me, fake red."

"That fake athlete is not worth my time anyway."

After a moment of silence, Zoey nodded to Dakota.

"Ehem, well, as I was saying, that night I couldn't sleep…"

That night I couldn't sleep. My debut was the next day, but I wasn't ready. I was afraid to show my body to the world or to hurt my opponent. Most importantly, I was afraid to ruin this chance after Sam helped me so much to get it.

The next day Sam went with me as my coach and morale support. The staff guided us to my dressing room.

"WOW! This place is awesome! Just like a videogame locker room," said Sam, making a wide smile.

However, I was too focused on my fight. I put on my wrestler outfit and began to bandage my spikes to avoid accidentally cutting my opponent.

"Dakota, are you ok?" asked Sam, putting his hand on my shoulder.

I nodded, but my expression gave me away.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. And also, I have a surprise for you after the show," said Sam, winking.

"Surprise? Surprise for Dakota?" I replied, surprised.

Sam nodded. "Yes, so just do your best out there."

I sighed, his surprise made me happy, but I like wasn't confident. "Dakota afraid."

Sam hugged me or tried to hug me, his arms weren't long enough to surround me. "Dakota, if you don't want to do it, we can stop anytime."

"But Sam, money…"

"We can find a different way to make money, but more than that, I want you to be happy," he then kissed my cheek.

I turned and hugged him. "Sam, Dakota loves Sam."

After that, we talked a lot about ourselves while waiting for my fight. Especially about us, I even told him about how I got mutated, which was something I never dared to say before.

"So you were in the mine for 40 minutes, and that is all that took to change? Score!" he said enthusiastically. It was the first time someone talked so positively about my mutation."Super strength, super cool hair and you get to kick so much butt. It's like playing a video game but in real life."

Then we heard the announcer call me through the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the Dakotazoid."

"That's your queue," He told me. I kissed him and went to the ring. "Break a leg."

To be fair, I was so nervous about the fight and so flustered after talking with Sam that I forgot to open the door and went through the wall.

In the ring, I had an exhibition fight against the veteran Terry Strauss, and I beat her. Of course, I was careful not to hurt her and make the moves as Sam taught me, but the difference in weight and height was too much, and she let me win.

Annotation: Zoey.

"She let you win? Are you saying she could beat you with your mutant strength?" said Zoey, blanching.

"Hahaha, of course not, I think," said Dakota chuckling. "But in wrestling, you aren't really fighting, It's a show, so you have a script."

Dawn looked at her wide-eyed. "What? I'm not a big fan of violent sports, but are you saying wrestling isn't real?" She wasn't the only one, Anne maria and Zoey also seemed shocked.

"Of course not. It's entertainment," said Dakota, chuckling. "Sometimes you have a script, and in others, you agree who will win in the ring. I was supposed to lose, but we never got the chance to practice Mrs. Terry's moves, so they didn't work. Instead, the moves I practiced with Sam were pretty realistic, so she let me win."

"I somehow feel disappointed," said Zoey, hugging her knees.

Anne Maria chuckled. "If all it's a farse, maybe I should try this wrestling thing. I heard you get a lot of money."

"Don't underestimate pro-wrestling." Said Staci, in a harsh tone. "My third co-uncle-in-law Pedro is a professional wrestler and lost an eye during a fight."

Jo nodded. "I can't believe but I agree with a chatterbox. Wrestling isn't a fight but is still a sport requiring training."

"As they said, it's performance, but it's physically challenging, and accidents can happen," said Dakota, nodding.

"Then forget it," said Anne Maria rolling her eyes, "I'll stick to something less dangerous, like modeling."

Staci frowned. "Modeling can also be dangerous, my…"

"STOP! Forget I say anything and let Dakota continue with her story," said Anne Maria, putting her hand over Staci's mouth.

"Thanks Anne, as I was saying…"

The public went crazy and I felt great! It was the first time people didn't mind how I looked, all the opposite. They supported and cheered for me. I was about to cry.

After the fight, Terry congratulated me, and they offered me a real contract. I was so happy that I was literally crying.

"You did it Dakota. Congratulations," Sam hugged me, almost as excited as me.

"SAM! DAKOTA DID IT!" I told him, still overwhelmed by the emotions.

"And as your prize, let's go and get dinner together," said Sam, winking.

Annotations: Anne Maria

"Ok that was a cheap surprise, I expected it would have at least three zeros," said Anne Maria crossing her arms.

It's true that going to a restaurant may seem like something simple, but it was our first date, so of course, it was a great surprise.

The place was a gamer bar with Karaoke called 'Press Start.' It was all decorated with video game characters, and we sat in a booth, so I could sit comfortably even with my tail.

I was pretty nervous, after my accident I didn't like to go out, but luckily few people were looking at me.

"Nice place eh?" said Sam, chuckling. "I used to come here all the time…" he then panicked, "with my friends, there was no way I would come with a girl."

"Not true, Sam wonderful and handsome," I told him, trying to tell him how I felt, but the words simply didn't come out as I wanted.

Sam held my hand. "Thanks Dakota. You're also awesome, beautiful, and cool."

I blushed. Being called pretty by him made me feel happy.

We ordered 5 super Mario hamburger menus, which included nuggets shaped like those goombas and koopas. I ate 3 menus and Sam 2. While eating we talked a lot about ourselves, even if I struggled to convey what I wanted.

"… Mom force Dad return pony," I said, laughing a lot.

"Hahaha, poor Mr. Milton, he just wanted to give you what you wanted," said Sam, drying a tear.

"Dad pamper Dakota," I told him. Sam stood up and went to pay. "WAIT! Dakota pay bill!"

Sam chuckled. "Next time, you pay the bill. Today it's my gift for getting your first job."

I accepted. After all Sam seemed really excited. We talked some more, and then I expected to go home, but instead, we went to the CN Tower.

"Sam, why CN Tower?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Because I have another surprise," said Sam, who took me to the observation deck.

Sadly the way there was the worst. The elevator was like totally small, so I had to go hunched, and instead of 12 people, it could only carry 8 because I was too wide. I felt pretty miserable all the way to the top.

But once there, Sam held my hand and showed me the city. There, in the middle of the city, I saw a message made with lights. "Congratulations Dako"

"Really Barry? I told you if it could be more than 20 letters long, and you say without a problem," muttered Sam. But personally, I thought it was beautiful.

"Perfect," I said, looking at the lights like a child.

After a moment, I realized everyone was looking at us, and it was really uncomfortable. In contrast to the stadium, where the audience was looking at me with passion, the people here looked at me with a mix of disdain, fear, and weird curiosity. Never in my life have I felt so bad about my mutation.

Sam noticed this, climbed on a bench, and kissed me. It was really cute and unexpected.

"Dakota, I don't care how you look or what other people or my parents think, I love you and will support you forever. You're the coolest and more awesome girl I've ever met, and no toxic waste will change that."

I was really happy, but tears began to run down my cheeks for some reason. Weird no? Crying while feeling happy.

I kissed him back, and after a while, we went home. Our first date was over and was more incredible than I could ever wish.

Dakota's story - end

"And that's the story of my first date," said Dakota, making a wide smile that showed her teeth.

"It was beautiful," said Zoey, drying a tear.

Anne Maria smirked. "But it was actually your first date?"

"You may not believe it, but before the show I was really vain and wouldn't go on a date with just anyone," said Dakota in a jerkish tone, like a high school Queen bee.

"So that means you're not vain anymore?" asked Staci, scratching her head.

Everyone laughed at Staci's joke.

"I'm glad you made peace with your accident. I'm sure that helped you a lot with your spiritual development," said Dawn, smiling.

"I have a question. Why did you change back if you were that successful as a monster?" asked Jo, getting some glares from her fellow castmates.

Dakota made a small smile. "I prefer if you use the term mutant. Monster sounds horrible." She then sighed, "even if Sam didn't mind it, and it was cool to be so strong, it had many issues. I couldn't talk like I wanted, there were no clothes for my size, my tail got in the way a lot, and my hair didn't match my pink clothes. In the end I wanted to go back."

"The important thing is that you looked for it yourself," said Dawn, smiling. "Now, take a paper and tell us who is the next one."

The former fame-monger put her hand inside the box and pulled out a paper. "It's … Jo"

Zoey and Jo groaned as the rest chuckled.

"Damn… I mean great! Ok babies, get ready to hear the winning story," said Jo, smirking.

Dakota raised an eyebrow. "I understand why Jo groaned, but what's your problem Zoey?"

"I wanted to tell my story next," said Zoey pouting.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you will be the next one," said Dawn smiling.

Jo coughed. "Shut up! This story will be so awesome that you may better save the humiliation and give me the prize already."

Filled with confidence, Jo took her turn. But maybe she wasn't as sure of herself as she tried to show.

Author Notes:

Dakota told her story and now is our favorite jockette turn. Jo will do what she can to win, but can she tell a story about one of her relationships? I guess we will find out.

Dakota's story is about the first days of Dakotazoid, but told through Dakota's eyes. I think many stories that include her as a mutant ignore many of the issues she has being a tall and powerful mutant, but thanks to Sam she remembers those time fondly.

Finally, if you like the story, please remember to mark it as a favorite, or even better, include a review about what you liked about it. This helps me to keep my motivation for this and future stories. Now let me answer the last week's reviews:

student.0311450: I'm glad you enjoyed Zoey and Dakota, being fair, I love those small interactions.

Total Simaniac: As the first part was the first generation, I wanted to give some love to the ROTI girls, especially as there is few stories about them compared to the rest.

And the scene with Andrew was based on some real-life events, in which the fans ask quite inappropriate questions to the people on the stage. Of course, Zoey isn't one to take so much abuse without retaliating.

Hellflores: I'm happy you enjoy it XD. And yes poor Zoey, but people sometimes think being a good person means she should take any question, and no, Zoey isn't a punching bag. I hope you also enjoyed this chapter.

As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy this story.