The next morning, Pineapple Chunks and Scheherazade woke up in their respective sleeping bags. For once, Rock Justice wasn't there, so they couldn't remind him of his name and their friendship; nor could they recap to him everything that had happened since they'd arrived in Lemuria. They never thought they'd miss having to give him reminders of who he was and what he stood for. Granted, they knew they wouldn't have to do it much longer, but it still hurt nevertheless. Still, eight people were left in this competition, so the best Pineapple Chunks and Scheherazade could do now was stick to their original strategy and hope they'd make it to the final round.
"So what's the fifth round going to be today?" Scheherazade signed at Pineapple Chunks.
"I'm not sure, actually," Pineapple Chunks signed back. "The first round was Un, Deux, Trois, Soleil; and the second round was Jeu De La Barbichette. The third round was Tug Of War, and Marbles was the fourth round. Who actually knows what the fifth round will be?"
"You've got a point there. Maybe we'll have to wait and see for ourselves. For now, let's just be cautious."
"Good idea."
Shortly afterwards, the speakers began crackling to life.
"Good morning, participants," the voice from the speakers began to speak. "I hope you've mentally prepared yourselves for the day ahead of you. Our fifth round of the competition is coming up shortly."
Everyone just murmured amongst themselves and speculated on what the fifth round of the competition could be.
As they waited in anticipation, the speakers suddenly blared with an announcement. "For the fifth round of the competition, we will be playing... Poohsticks!"
Everyone continued to murmur amongst themselves.
"You must not be all that familiar with Poohsticks, are you?" the voice from the speakers continued. "Well, in that case, allow me to explain. It's a rather simple game that may be played on any bridge over running water. Each player drops a stick on the upstream side of a bridge and the one whose stick first appears on the downstream side is the winner. Pretty simple, right? Well, enough about that for now. First, it's time for breakfast. You can't go wrong with a little breakfast. I want you all to line up and head for the canteen in fifteen minutes. Chairman out!"
Everyone once again murmured amongst themselves, wondering what kind of twist would be implemented for this fifth round.
"So... what do we do now?" Scheherazade signed at Pineapple Chunks.
"Go," Pineapple Chunks signed back. "Head towards the canteen!"
As they made their way to the canteen, a thought suddenly occurred to Scheherazade.
"Pineapple Chunks?" she signed.
"Yes, Scheherazade?" Pineapple Chunks signed back.
"Do you think we might be forced to go solo for this round?"
Pineapple Chunks gave her a puzzled look. "I'm not really sure. Why do you ask?"
"Seeing as how there's only one round left after this, I'm worried we'll have to compete against each other or something. Honestly, I don't think I want to do that."
"Me neither. I don't know what we're going to do if we have to compete against each other."
"I don't know, either, but I'll always love you as a friend no matter what."
"Me too."
Still determined to find Pineapple Chunks and save him and the other U.Z.Z. chiefs, Victor pressed on with the mission. As he thought, he knew that he and his companions had very little time left until the fifth round of the competition was supposed to begin. The whole building in which the competition was taking place was so huge and labyrinthine that it could be hard for anyone except the organizers and participants to know where they were or where they could go.
With that in mind, Victor looked at the map of the building that Professor Professor had sent him and started walking, his six companions following closely behind. He knew there were six other areas within this building, and that the first five were roughly all within walking distance from each other. The sixth area, however, was the one that was hidden away. It was located somewhere deep inside the complex, and it was always out of view to the outsiders.
"Do you think that sixth area might be where the fifth round will take place?" Jeremy asked Victor.
"Hard to say," Victor replied. "But if Professor Professor's right, then there's a chance we could get there before the round starts and rescue everyone."
"Oh, that'd be great!" Clearence exclaimed.
"I know," Tamara agreed. "I can just imagine how they'll react when they finally see us again. As if they had any idea what would happen to them at the end of the competition! It probably never even occurred to them that they'd end up being trafficked across space."
Jeremy chuckled at this. "Gotta love when you brace yourself for the worst, Tammy."
"I'll tell you what, Jeremy. I hope we can get there soon enough. I can't wait to get them out of this nightmare."
"Me neither. I also hope we can save everyone else before it's too late."
As if in the blink of an eye, it was time for the fifth round to begin. None of the remaining eight participants had any clue what to expect from this round other than merely being a game of Poohsticks. The participants gathered at the designated starting point, each holding a stick. Pineapple Chunks, Scheherazade, the South Korean Changed Daily, the Nigerian Changed Daily, the Ghanaian Changed Daily, the Chilean Changed Daily, the Venezuelan Changed Daily, and the Togolese Changed Daily all stood together, strategizing their approach. They all knew that their fates lied within this round. It was simply a matter of winning or losing.
The tension in the air was palpable as the participants awaited further instructions. Pineapple Chunks glanced at his companions, seeing a mix of determination and nervousness on their faces. They had come so far in this competition, overcoming numerous challenges and obstacles along the way. But now, it all came down to whether any of them would make it to the final round.
"Anybody else worried what kind of twist is in store for us?" the Venezuelan Changed Daily asked out loud.
"No one can really blame you for thinking so," the South Korean Changed Daily replied. "I'm nervous, too. Do you think we'll have to resort to playing dirty like we did the last round?"
The participants exchanged uncertain glances, contemplating the possibility of having to resort to less-than-honorable tactics in order to secure their place in the final round.
Pineapple Chunks spoke up, his voice filled with determination. "Even if we really have to, the important thing is just to try our best."
The Chilean Changed Daily rolled her eyes at this. "Oh, great, the amnesiac Frenchman rubbed on you. You're so fucking gullible, you son of a bitch, you know that?"
"I'm just trying to be positive. Why do you have to be so mean?"
"My God, you really are a gullible hijoeputa, aren't you?"
"What about your friends, huh? How do we know they're not using you?"
All the while, Scheherazade read Pineapple Chunks and the Chilean Changed Daily's lips, and she was incredulous as to the kind of petty arguments that could pop up before rounds. As tensions rose and arguments ensued, Scheherazade couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment. She had hoped that the participants would support and encourage each other, especially at this crucial stage of the competition. It was disheartening to witness their bickering when they should have been focusing on the task ahead.
Thankfully, as if on cue, the speakers began to crackle to life.
"Attention, players," began the voice from the speakers. "It is now time for the fifth round of the competition to begin."
The participants just murmured at each other, having been temporarily distracted from their fighting in the meantime.
"Now remember when I said that the one whose stick first appeared on the downstream side was the winner?" the voice from the speakers continued. "Well, there's something I neglected to mention for this round. It's not just one bridge that your sticks have to flow under. It's two. Also, there will be four winners for this round. You know what I'm implying with this, don't you?" Pause. "You do know? Good. I figured you would. Anyway, I'll leave you to it. Hurry up and start racing your sticks. Chairman out!"
The participants exchanged puzzled glances, trying to decipher the meaning behind the chairman's words. Two bridges? Four winners? It was clear that this round was going to require both skill and strategy. As they prepared for the challenge ahead, Scheherazade hoped that the unexpected twist would serve as a catalyst for them to put their differences aside and work together towards a common goal.
"Well, you heard the voice!" the Chilean Changed Daily yelled at everyone else. "Get going! We've got sticks to race!"
As the participants scrambled to gather their sticks and make their way to the starting point, Scheherazade couldn't help but notice a shift in their demeanor. The arguments and insults seemed to fade into the background as they focused on the task at hand. It was as if the unexpected twist had reminded them of why they were recruited – not just to win individually, but also to prove to each other why they became chiefs of U.Z.Z. in the first place.
"Do you really think we can make it to the final round, Scheherazade?" Pineapple Chunks signed at her.
"No," Scheherazade signed back. "I know we can."