Last week on Total Drama Fandom Action, eighteen new campers arrived on the scene to compete in this all new season! Three teams formed, tensions flared and spats broke out! In the end, Dijonay Jones was our first eliminated camper for this season.
This week, we're bringing back our Wild West Challenge with an out-of-this-world twist! Who will survive their trip to the E.T. Corral? Find out right here on TOTAL! DRAMA! FANDOM! ACTION!
Neville woke up early before dawn to water the houseplants. They were in negligible condition. The interns must have had too much on their workload to give a damn. He took it to himself to help out. He'd always loved plants. Plants didn't leave you and they demanded so little from you. Sadly, sometimes even those little things are denied plants. He started sprinkling the little things. The plants almost immediately began to rise back to life, aided by the little spells and incantations he whispered to them.
Plants were a lot like people in one respect, Neville thought. Sometimes, people only see plants for their usefulness, like what deadly potions and draughts could be made from their sap and roots and flowers. He hummed a little to himself, satisfied that he could nurture the greenery around the cabins by himself.
He thought cabins, but they were really three big trailers for the three teams. They were co-ed, noting that it would not be a problem for, as Percy pointed out "All the girls here could beat the crap out of any guy that tries something funny". Their team was even simpler: Two of the "boys" weren't human to begin with, and him? Professor McGonagall put it like this: "The world will burn, the sky will fall and the seas boil before Neville Longbottom willfully commits an act of heinousness"
The keyword was wilfully. While he could be blamed for any number of accidents on account of his clumsiness (or more recently, his light drinking), Annabeth and Alphys were sure they could sleep soundly with him in their trailer.
He moved on to the begonias and the wild plants growing on the grassy grounds, still humming to himself.
"Did your grandma teach you that one?"
Neville jumped, dropping the watering can. He spun around to see Ty Lee behind him.
"Sorry"
"No, it's alright". He picked up the watering can and continued watering. "Um, no. Gran isn't exactly known for tucking us to bed. That was my mother's…"
"How are the folks back home?"
Neville explained to Ty Lee the First Wizarding War, the Order of the Phoenix and the use of the Unforgivable Curses. "They're at Saint Mungo's. It's our premiere healthcare facility."
Ty Lee blanched. "That's horrible. Even the Fire Nation didn't interrogate like that, though I'm sure Azula would've had no qualms about that."
She thought quickly of changing the topic. "My friend Mai's mom runs a flower shop back home. She'd love to have a trusty assistant like you"
"There must be some exotic flora there," thought Neville.
"Oh yes, you should see the Moon Lilies. They might not do anything magical, but they're really pretty"
"I don't think a flower has to do anything to be liked. Just like people" Neville admitted.
"I totally agree. Like Azula, she only ever sees people for what they can be used for, and I… What was that?"
Neville listened for it and heard a rustling noise close by. Something was moving in the brush behind them, which went the path towards the stage. Ty Lee gasped and pointed when it emerged, or more like peeked, from out the brush.
It had milky white skin, and a large bulbous head. It had large, black, empty eyes and stick limbs. It made weird, chittering noises, as if attempting to talk to them.
Ty Lee screamed. Neville screamed an octave higher. They both ran back to the cabins.
At Rockets' trailer, the alarms blared, jolting all of them awake. Except for Reagan, who was already awake and dressed.
"Arceus above, Reagan, you remind me of Administrator Ariana! She was quite the workaholic, too!"
"I wouldn't be surprised why she's Admin, then," said Reagan. "Come on, guys! Time to get our game on!"
Almond: That's the kind of energy I look for in new recruits
Almond stretched. "Right, but first let's have that cup of Joe"
After that quick cup of coffee, Reagan assigned Raze to give them a warm up exercise. "Zumba isn't about form, it's about energy! Come on, guys, really get into it!"
Alfred and Jessie were feeling it. Almond danced like an awkward dad at a party. Which was because he was an awkward dad at a party. Natsu and Reagan were middling.
"Aw, man, that really gets me pumped!" said Alfred. "I feel ten pounds lighter!"
"Wonder if the other teams are up yet?" Raze looked out a window.
"I heard the Neville dude watering the plants a while ago" said Natsu.
The other cabins were stirring as well. Leslie opened the windows to let the sun in. "Don't be throwin no shade, sir", they said when Percy stood in front of the window, blocking out the sun. "Sunlight on tha skin produces Vitamin D and… oh no wait, that's for humans. I meant I was having breakfast…"
Suddenly, they heard running and screaming. Neville and Ty Lee burst onto the field and crashed into Sherb, who was making a peaceful breakfast out of a patch of grass and wild berries.
"Oh, is it National Tackle a Goat day, today?" he groaned.
"GUYS! NEVILLE AND I SAW A FREAKING ALIEN AT THE GROUNDS EARLIER!"
It was a disturbing bit of news, but then again, they were demigods, wizards and all other sorts of teenagers. It wasn't outlandish nor too scary for them, but they were still concerned.
"Well," spoke Annabeth. "Who's the alien expert here?"
Reagan raised her hand. "I got this. We can talk to it via the CE-5 Protocols"
"Ain't that the thing Demi Lovato uses?" asked Raze. Reagan rolled her eyes and laughed. "Steven Greer is a disinformation agent of Cognito Inc. Demi and company are being sold a bill of goods, and all that moolah goes into our funds.
Jessie was impressed by this scheme. "We need a brainy gal like you in the Team!"
"And try not to spill the tea on us too much, sis" cautioned America.
"Only trained Agents like me know the true Protocol. I will need three candles and a live chicken"
"Do we dare ask why?" asked Toshi.
"You dare not"
Their planning was interrupted by Chris' summons. Reagan shrugged "I'm sure everything's under control", she said. "Either it's one of Chris' things, or something I can deal with easily," she assured them.
Annabeth took a deep breath. The Victors had lost the first challenge, and they would now be a player down against the Whales and Rockets. She wasn't really that worried: For one thing, not every challenge was a numbers game, and in fact a larger team could be a hindrance. The other was that she was the last person they would think of eliminating. As long as she kept up the image of an intrepid leader who had faith in her team, the others would fall in line. Neville was sure to back her up any time, as well as Alphys and Sherb. Leslie, the diva, was a loose cannon, but with the right amount of gaslighting she could keep them on her side.
The seventeen contestants saw themselves stepping out of the dressing rooms and into a vast plain, somewhere out in the Wild West, if Annabeth had to guess.
Alfred yipped. "Well color me dazed! Looks like we've got ourselves a home court advantage, Rockets!"
"Don't be so sure!" Momo wagged a finger at them. "My team isn't going down without a fight- '' Two thuds behind her made her stop. Percy and Mermista had dropped, panting.
"What kind of place is this?" panted Percy.
"It's a desert, dimwit", Mermista was breathing heavily.
"I was trying to lighten the mood, thank you"
Alfred and the Rockets began cackling at the Whales. Meanwhile, Team Victory was just glad the heat didn't hit them as hard. Alphys was thriving in the sun, as was Leslie.
Chris emerged on the horizon, astride a galloping bronco. "Good day, campers! How's your first impression of the McLean Corral?"
"I would prefer coral to a corral at the moment," answered Percy.
"For today's challenge, we're going to our old Wild West theme! But there's a twist, which you'll find out later! There's been some strange stirrings in the ranch since the last batch of contestants was here. Keep your eyes on the skies!"
Reagan: Uh-huh, enter the aliens, I guess
"For your mini-challenge, I need you to round up all my horses that are scattered all over the ranch by noon! The ones with red saddles belong to the Rockets, the blue ones to the Whales and the green ones to the Victors! Happy herding, campers!" He immediately rode off, presumably to water, air conditioning and civilization.
"Well, this is just great!" said Squidward. "I'm about to become calamari in minutes!"
"Take it easy, Squiddy, I got this," said Percy. "Just take it easy for now and try to find a way for all of us to cool off"
"Leave that to me," said Momo. She created a massive tent and a small AC unit to cool them off.
The Rockets decided to plan their strategy by taking a look around. Alfred kept them cool with soda and ice cream, which continued to fall from the pocket dimension that appeared to be inside his shirt. Raze gave a whoop of joy and pointed to the distance. She ran off and the team ran after her.
"Oh meu Deus! Jackpot, guys!" Raze was atop a huge pile of garbage and junk.
"How exactly will this help us, dudette?" Alfred asked. "All I see is junk"
Raze looked hurt. "Junk? All I see is a bunch of cool things to tinker with!"
"Think you can make something useful out this, sport?" asked Almond.
"I KNOW I can, with a little help from Jessie and Reagan."
Reagan paused. "Hmm, if we can find some spark plugs, we might be onto something. Let's go diving"
"Let's hope I can remember how Meowth does it."
"You mean the cat's not in the bag, babe?" asked Alfred.
"No. He hates being in a Pokeball, so he stayed behind. No, I have a Pokemon who can help us more in this situation. Go, Frillish!" Throwing her ball, she released a floating pink creature. It looked like a ghostly jellyfish with a friendly face.
"Now, Frillish, be a dear and help us sort through this junk pile with your new Psychic!"
Frillish nodded and began to focus. It glowed a powerful pink aura and the garbage began to individually float up, allowing them ease in sifting through for useful items. Soon, Raze and the others were developing makeshift robots and gadgets to be used for later challenges.
The Victors pondered for a while. "I know why Percy's taking it easy. This is not good." said Annabeth.
"What's the matter?" asked Leslie.
"Percy can talk to horses. They all obey him without fail"
"So why are we still here?" moaned Neville. "To suffer?"
"I'll think of a way to snatch that win from them, just give me some time."
Sherb nibbled peacefully on a stalk of wheat. He laid down on his back and watched the clouds go by.
Alphys scribbled in her notebook. "If only I had my computers."
"The brain is the greatest computer, Alphys. That's what my mom says. Let's use ours" replied Annabeth.
Sherb pointed to the skies. "Look at that pretty cloud! It looks like a huge plate"
"That's your stomach talking," said Leslie.
"Wait a minute…"
"That's no cloud"
"Oh SH-"
The Rockets gathered all the materials they could and sorted it on their makeshift workstation. Jessie and Reagan were recalibrating the blueprints for one of Team Rocket's mind control machines to work on horses. They then relayed the information to Raze, Alfred and Natsu, who handled the construction of the device. Almond kept watch of the perimeter.
"Has anybody seen Team Victory?" asked Reagan.
"Maybe they quit while they were ahead," quipped Jessie. "Oops! I mean behind!" She laughed at her own joke, but Reagan was a little worried.
"Jessie? You can handle the rest of this, right? I'll take Almond and Alfred with me to investigate the whole matter with the alien Neville and Ty Lee saw earlier. It might be part of the challenge."
"Sure thing, Reagan. We'll have the mini-challenge done by the time you guys get back!"
Reagan lent her forensic gadgets to Almond, who did a thorough scan of the perimeter.
"I must say, kid. Aliens are not my area of expertise. But I imagine, there must be some clues I can't miss here"
"Look for slime," said Alfred, slurping a milkshake. "Aliens leave a slime trail when they walk"
Reagan frowned. "Grays, Reptilians and Nordics, the first of whom are the likeliest culprits, based on Neville and Ty Lee's accounts, do NOT leave slime trails"
"Are we sure it's not just Roger Smith?" asked Alfred.
"That crackhead?" Reagan shook her head. "I've got a special tab just for him. That's how much trouble he's worth and Cognito's part of the task force that ensures he doesn't try shit. Right now, it seems he's passed out in a bar in Las Vegas. Right after he and a friend hijacked a pod and crashed it into some poor family's backyard."
"Had a long night of hooking?" quipped Alfred. "I was wondering what that itch on my left nipple meant"
"If Vegas is the left, which one's the-"
"You might wanna take a look at this, kids" called Almond.
"The right's San Francisco, if you're curious," Alfred whispered.
"These footprints," Almond said. "Last time I checked, humans don't have three-toed feet"
Alfred's spine tingled. Reagan nodded.
"Looks like we got the real deal here. What's that?" Almond's head whipped around as the three of them heard a chittering noise.
"It's them!" Alfred screamed. "Get behind me, Reagan!"
It emerged from behind the wall, its huge black eyes staring soullessly at them. Alfred screamed and hid behind Reagan.
Reagan: This is why I have trust issues
Alfred: YOU'RE NOT TONY! GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM US, MAN!
"I don't care what system you're from, pally, you're trespassing! I'm gonna need you to show some I.D." said Almond.
The being tilted its head, much like an owl, and crept closer. Reagan stepped forward.
"State your purpose, Reticulan. Whose orders are you carrying out? The Robes? The Reptilians?" She aimed a ray gun at it. The being seemed confused.
Two more aliens emerged, from behind. Reagan smelled an ambush, and she opened fire on the creatures…
Percy did not like how scared the horses were. What had Chris done to them? He had begun calling the horses to him while the other Whales saved their energy for the main challenge. Almost a hundred horses came galloping towards them. Ty Lee oohed and aahed as the horses came.
"I've never seen such beautiful animals before," she said, as she petted a dapper horse. "Back home, we ride rhino lizards"
"The WHAT, now," asked Squidward, who seemed to have a fear of rhinoceroses he refused to elaborate on.
Momo eyed the horizon. "Strange. I can't see Team Victory, and the Rockets are missing a lot of members"
Toshi began to lead the horses to the corral, aided by Percy and Squidward. Mermista sat in the shade of the tent and tried to help by conjuring up a light mist around the team. By and by, the last little pony walked into the corral, as if drawn by the power of friendship.
"Whoa, guys and gals, calm down. What's got you so spooked?" asked Percy.
"It feasts at night, my lord!"
"Oh, save us, lord!"
"It hates being watched"
Percy did not understand what they were talking about, but Ty Lee ran up to him, worried. "Percy, I know you can feel it too. Something's scaring these poor things to death!"
"I know. They've been yelling in my mind for an hour now."
"Oh, could it be that thing we saw earlier?"
"Maybe, but let's just find out later."
Chris came back and was pleased to see all the horses back in their corral. "Well done, Whales! I was worried you guys would have trouble after the Rockets' little doohickey exploded.
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH IT, YOU DWEEB!" yelled Jessie.
"HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT SHINY RED BUTTON WAS THE "SELF-DESTRUCT' ONE?!" countered Natsu.
Raze: Well, at least it went out with a beautiful bang!
"Alright, Whales, you guys win the mini-challenge! You get a special power which I'll explain later when… Did you guys hear that?"
"Hear what?" asked Mermista.
Reagan had stopped shooting the moment one of the aliens started screaming like a schoolgirl. The masks came off and before them stood three young boys, about Toshi's age. They were Cody, Cameron and Shawn.
"Yo, dudes, are you TRYING to get iced up in here?!" demanded America. "What gives? What's with the act?"
"Well, we're part of the challenge," explained Cameron. "The challenge is based on Jordan Peele's NOPE. We were the red herrings sent to confuse you guys"
Reagan scratched her head. "NOPE is about a giant alien that lives in the skies and eats anything it sees. Jesus Christ on a crutch, we have to warn everybody! Chris probably bought and smuggled a Megacnidarian into the biosphere to pose as Jean Jacket for the challenge!"
Cody sighed. "We TRIED to warn Chris this was the worst idea he had ever thought of. Now look, the Victors have been eaten…"
"WHAT"
"Oh my God, this isn't happening…" Reagan murmured.
"Relax, doll. This is a reality TV show"
"So?!" asked Alfred incredulously.
"So believe half of what you see, and none of what you hear"
Alfred perked up. "I was just about to say that, mister."
"Sure you were, kiddo…"
Almond: These rookies are gonna need to level with me soon, or they'll get eaten, or worse, eliminated…
Reagan, Alfred and Almond ran as fast as they could back to the grounds. Raze greeted them and explained what happened while they were gone.
"Jessie's doohickey went ka-boom, but it was cool. The Whales won the challenge and so Percy got to pick between "Defender" and "Attacker". He chose Defender, which is good for us"
"Why?"
"Because, meu amor, I'm a Duelist. I'm better suited for offense and I can tell so are the rest of you. Let me just get my ordinances ready."
"Are we attacking Percy's team?"
Raze shook her head. "We're actually working together. Percy's team will defend the town, while we'll go on the attack"
Reagan grew alarmed. "Defend against what?"
As if to answer, a figure shimmered into view in front of them. Annabeth Chase was bruised and bloody, her clothes torn and her skin dirty. "The flying son-of-a-bitch that ate my team…"
Jessie came over to yell at Reagan, but she quickly forgot about her slight when Annabeth relayed the news about the alien spaceship/creature that ate the Victors. Reagan took a deep breath and told Natsu and Alfred not to even think of attacking on their own. "Not that you two taking it down is outside the realm of possibility, but the Victors might still be alive in there. We have to try and rescue them."
Inside the bowels of the beast, voices were chatting.
"I did not sign up for this," moaned Sherb.
Alphys replied. "But how do you not know, there was a contract before we got into this, Sherb"
"Oh!" snarked Leslie. "Well, come on, Lisa the Dinosaur! Teleport us to Mars!"
Annabeth ran off to warn Percy's team, while the Rockets scrambled to prepare for the offensive. The horses were trembling, and Cody, Cameron and Shawn also showed up on the ranch, still in half-costume, which Ty Lee noticed immediately.
"Hey! Those guys were the aliens from earlier! Huh, I guess there never were any aliens on this ranch…"
Then, all hell broke loose.
It swooped in from the clouds, a gigantic white disk mist and clouds. It generated a powerful wind that sucked up the horses and began its attack on the Whales' base. Momo nodded to her team and they launched their attack. Percy and Mermista bent the water in the giant water tower and sent two devastating jets of water at their target.
The entity did not budge, it merely absorbed the water and even seemed to grow with it. It fired two blasts of green energy at the two. Percy crumpled and Mermista flew back in pain. It sucked up Percy and Mermista, much to Momo's horror. Toshi was dressed like a samurai for some reason, and upon seeing his teammates get eaten, yelled and charged the creature, only for the creature to blast him with a spout of water and to get sucked up as well. Squidward held onto his suction cups and held Momo and Ty Lee in each arm, but even they got sucked up as well. The Whales had fallen.
Almond turned to his teammates. "Things just got out of hand…"
Reagan ran towards the creature, which was now slowly floating upwards back to the clouds. She enacted the CE-5 Protocols to establish communication with the spacecraft, but it only ate her as well. Jessie screamed, and ordered her Frillish to cast Mist to hide them.
"WHAT DO WE DO?! That thing is going to eat us for breakfast!" she wailed.
"No, it's not, gang" assured Raze. "We just gotta take it down as a team! Who's got a plan?"
Alfred raised his hand. "Not a plan, but a problem, yo. Jean Jacket doesn't absorb water like that. I watched NOPE like, fifty times by now. Something's not right."
"And Reagan's CE-5 didn't make it respond either. What gives?" asked Raze.
"Who cares?" asked Natsu. "We gotta kick its butt before it digests Reagan and the others!"
"Sounds to me like your case is shakier than a stack of cards" Almond began. "There's more to this mystery than we know. For now, let's just find safe ground, like that conveniently-placed cave over there"
The conveniently-placed cave was not a booby trap nor a red herring. It was just a serendipitously-located hiding spot that sheltered them from the Jacket's attacks.
Raze tinkered with her rocket. "My Showstopper has a very limited range. I'll need to do some upgrades if I'm going to hit that thing with my launcher."
"Any missing ingredients?" asked Alfred.
"Just a good lubricant"
Almond paused. "Hold on". He went inside the bathroom for a few minutes, then came back out with a tall glass of almond oil.
Alfred gave a side eye. "Is that your c-"
"No" Almond snapped. "It's my tears"
"What makes a grown Cookie cry?" Alfred ventured.
"Knowing he might get eaten and his kid back home will never know what happened"
"Fair enough"
Raze accepted the oil. "Thanks a lot, Almondzinho! This'll do"
"Now," Almond continued. "What do we make of this 'Jean Jacket'?". He paced around the room. "It absorbs water, fires green energy balls and a spout of water, and hides in a column of mist"
"Jean Jacket doesn't do any of that," protested Alfred. "It's almost as if it's something else, posing as a Jacket"
"Of course," said Natsu. "Maybe it's just a paid actor!"
"But what is it?" asked Raze.
"Hmmm, it sound familiar…" said Jessie as she washed her Frillish, which had gotten dirty in the chase. "I can't quite put my finger on it." Her Frillish began to absorb the water and become fresh and lively again.
Almond gasped. "Jessie. Did your Frillish just suck up the shower water?"
"Why yes. Frillish's ability is Water Absorb. It restores health when hit by water"
"That's it! Jessie, what moves does Frillish carry?"
"A lot! I'm planning to teach her Icy Wind, Water Spout and Energy Ball, plus Mist for setup… Hey! The creature attacked the Whales with just that same moveset!"
"There's no way that thing is a Frillish" protested Alfred. "Not even if it evolves into Jellicent!"
"It can!" insisted Jessie. "It just needs to-"
Suddenly, it got bright. The Jacket had destroyed the cave and began to suck them up. Natsu and Alfred got eaten. Raze managed to catch Almond and Jessie in her arms as she threw a satchel to push them out of the vortex's grip. They landed with a thud on the ground.
Jessie gasped. "Raaze, listen! If that thing up there is really a Jellicent, you can't take it down with a fire attack! We need grass, or ghost or…"
"Electric!" yelled Raze. "Get the spark plugs, Almond!"
"On it, doll"
Raze caught the plugs and began to tinker with her Boombot. She loaded the bot on her launcher. "Hold on, little guy, we're about to make history!"
The creature charged, sucking up Jessie and Almond. "Kid! Lead a moving target!"
"I know! Brimstone tells me every few minutes!"
Raze threw another satchel, launching her away. She ran and ran and ran. She wasn't nearly as good a shot as Jett or Chamber, so she needed a good vantage point. The creature roared as it flew behind her.
"THIS IS FOR EVERYONE YOU ATE, YA BIG BULLY!"
The shot seemed to last forever. Raze swore time stood still and the rocket flew in slo mo. It hit the giant cloud-shrouded creature and exploded. The lightning crackled all over and the creature shuddered. Then, it began to shrink, and in the process it exhaled all the campers as it fell.
"YEAH! THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU MESS WITH THIS BAIANA!"
The campers got up, coughing and covered in Jellicent slime.
"Raze, you saved us!" yelled Jessie. "It really was a Jellicent! A Gigantamaxed one!"
"Well done, Raze! I think it's clear who won this challenge!"
Chris had appeared behind them.
"How'd you get a Jellicent, Chris? You're no trainer" asked Raze.
"I'm not, but HE is! Please welcome Season One's sixth placer, Barry!"
"Oh man, I get why Team Rocket keeps pulling that act, it was so fun! I caught this Jellicent on a holiday in Unova! Hey Jessie, how's it feel to be the one getting snatched up?"
Jessie bickered with Barry while the Whales and Victors picked themselves up. Barry recalled his Jellicent. "Wow, Jellicent, you kicked so much butt today! Rest up, buddy!"
"Alright campers! When you're done hosing the slime off your bodies, meet me at the amphitheater!"
After a long session of hosing facilitated by Percy and Mermista, the seventeen campers gathered together as Chris made the announcements.
"Campers! One team made the shot that took down the alien monster that was terrorizing the ranch! Screaming Rockets, you win!"
They cheered. Natsu and Alfred chest bumped, while Raze spun Almond round and round as Jessie and Reagan hi-fived each other.
"The Rockets will enjoy a steak dinner followed by a relaxing dip at our geothermal hot springs tonight!"
"Meh, just get us an old pool, I'll take care of the hot-" Natsu said right before Jessie clamped him shut.
"Didn't expect THIS case to be a meal ticket, but I'll take it!" said Almond
"One of you threw the shot heard all over the ranch. For taking down the Jellicent Jacket, Raze, you are the overall winner of this week's challenge!"
Raze: But I couldn't have done it without the team!
Jessie: But I was the one who figured out it was a Jellicent!
Almond: You deserve it, kid. That was some fine shooting
Natsu: I knew Raze could do it!
Alfred: You go, Tayana Thee Stallion!
Reagan: Atta girl! We need to get some drinks in that hot tub tonight!
Chris continued as the Rockets left for dinner. "Whales, you're safe and Victors, I'm afraid your team is once again up for elimination. Please cast your votes"
Annabeth: Sherb, I'm so sorry
Alphys: I vote Sherb
Neville: I vote myself, I should've been more alert
Leslie: Sherb is outta here
Sherb: This is an easy decision for me…. I wanna go home….
While the Rockets celebrated, the Whales had an ordinary dinner at their table and discussed strategy.
"At least you won the mini-challenge, Percy," said Ty Lee.
"Yeah, I guess, but mini-challenges don't count"
"They do if you're using the LaDuca method" said Squidward.
"I listen to Annabeth's dull lectures all the time, and I've never heard of a mathematician named LaDuca"
"I'm just glad we didn't lose," said Mermista. "If we did, it would be me and Percy in the bottom for not being able to pull off a win against that thing earlier"
"I would've voted for Squidward if it makes you feel better," said Percy.
Momo laughed. "There's always next week, guys! As long as we don't outright lose, we'll all make it to the Merge!"
Annabeth sighed as the team suffered a second defeat in a row when Leslie approached her. The flower obviously had something on their mind, as well.
"What is it, Leslie?"
"Well, I just needed to get this off my xylem… Am I the weak link?"
"What?"
"Look, I am as fierce and fresh as they come, but I'm not delusional. I need to know if I'm carrying myself here"
"Honestly, you're doing much better than I expected. Believe me, Leslie. You'll know when I find you a deadweight. I voted for Dijonay last week."
"Why?"
"Because, while you're both loud, annoying pick-me types, I know you might remotely have a niche for a later challenge, being a plant and everything, while I didn't really see anything special about Dijonay"
"Thank you for being honest"
"No problem," Annabeth smiled. "We'll get the win next week. I can feel it"
Neville looked over at Sherb's bunk. "Sherb, why are you packing?"
"Isn't it obvious? I'm quitting. I'm tired. I didn't sign up for this, Raymond put me up to it"
"But don't you want to keep trying?"
"I just got eaten alive by a giant flying jellyfish. This is just a whole different level for me, I'm exhausted and shaken," Sherb was crying now.
"There, there, Sherb. At least we're alive"
"I just thought I could walk into this show, be a nice person and everything would turn out just fine. But it's not. It's been two disasters in a row!"
Alphys joined them. "You know what, Sherb? As a scientist, as much as ninety nine out of a hundred ideas of mine turn out to be disasters, but I can't quit just because of something like that. That one success could make all the difference"
Leslie dropped her two cents in. "Well, it's easy to say since that one good idea is Mettaton. That bitch is SICKENING and gives me LIFE, but Alphys is right, Sherb. Even if I did vote for you"
"WHAT-"
"You can't just leave this whole thing a flaming garbage pile. Why not go out with a bang?"
Leslie: Sherb is entering his Adore Delano All Stars Two era, and it's honestly giving me life. It would even be more sickening if he manages to survive another bottom two and become this season's lipsync assassin
After dinner, the campers reassembled at the theater to find out this week's bottom two.
"Annabeth, Leslie, you're safe"
Leslie: At this rate, I might as well call myself Cindy Brady. Move over, Jan and Marcia, there's a new safe queen in the house!
"Alphys, your scientific skills failed to help your team survive getting eaten, as did Neville's magical skills, and Sherb was Sherb. Who deserves to go home?"
"Sherb, you are in the bottom"
"Neville…."
"You are also at the bottom. Alphys, you're safe"
"Alright!" said Chris. "The voters have spoken! The one going home is… Sherb!"
"Oh, thank goodness!" The goat was actually happy to go home. He had, in fact, already packed to go home. "The competition was just getting too heated for me. I'm going home to the Island…"
The sixteen other campers applauded him as he went to the red carpet for his farewell. "Remember to get eight hours of sleep, everybody! Farewell!"
"Well, that leaves sixteen! For next week's challenge, the campers are gonna be starting their engines!"