"...What are you gonna do?"
Such a question had been lingering in Pyroar's mind for some time; not necessarily out of any insight of her own, but rather because she couldn't even count the number of times she'd been asked as much in the past few weeks. Ever since the news broke, it was the only thing on anyone's mind apparently.
No, all she was interested in was the heave of smoke pluming from her maw, her body pressed against the grass below her as she watched it rise into the starlit sky.
To her right, a creak cried out, a stream of light flooding out onto the ground beside her. Regrettably, she twisted her gaze toward the door, the Magmar currently poking out his head meeting her eyes. After a moment of silence, his hand awkwardly tapping the doorknob as he searched for the right words, he finally asked that question of his.
"Hey so…They're back from commercial," he had started, every word heavy with measured curiosity, "and…You know, they're 'bout to crown the winner. You wanna come in and watch?"
"And why would I wanna do that?" She found herself hissing out between puffs.
"Well…Y'know," he carried on, "it's your show."
"Not according to the court it isn't," she growled out, running her free paw across her cheek. The thought of that horrid place alone made her wanna strangle someone.
But a side-eye toward the man, her friend, albeit a distant one, simply asking her a question out of concern- Hell, probably worse than that if she were to truly think about it. She couldn't blame him for it, even if her instinctual reaction was to do just that. This wasn't his fault. He wasn't…
"...I'll come inside. Just need another moment," she answered faintly.
"O-Oh! Cool," the Magmar nodded along, stepping back inside, only to stop before the door could truly close and allow the darkness to overwhelm her once more.
"...You know," he began once more, "if you need to talk about it-"
"I'm fine."
And that was the end of that. He closed the door, and the darkness came flooding back.
She closed her eyes, took another puff, and stared forward into nothingness once more…
"...What are you gonna do?"
EPISODE #1: Who's That Pokémon?
"And we're live in…" Cyclizar called out across the bustling dock, the interns and crew readying the camera for the show, "Five…Four…Three…Two…"
He snapped his fingers, and like that…
"Welcome back to Total Drama Island!" Armarouge cheered out, her sister and co-host right beside her…Not that you'd be aware of such an important position on first glance, considering Ceruledge was currently glaring into the camera with an apathy only on par with a Slakoth.
"Now then," Armarouge continued, "it's time to meet our cast! How exciting!"
"Yeah, until you remember they were lied to about where this competition was actually taking place," Ceruledge grumbled. And when Armarouge gave her a look for such words, she dully explained, "Remember? We claimed this was taking place at the Nani Loa Resort…And not a crappy island in the middle of nowhere."
Armarouge blinked…Then flinched. "Ooooooh…They're uh…Not gonna be happy about that."
Ceruledge shrugged, "Eh, not like their transport was much better."
Such cryptic words only confused the hostess more, "What do you mean-"
Interrupted by a whistle, Ceruledge called out for the staff, who stepped up and quickly handed off a briefcase to Armarouge before scuttling offstage once more. Armarouge could only stare at the case, before clicking it open…
Revealing three rows of Poké Balls on the inside, nine in each row.
The two stared at it in silence.
"...Are they-"
"Yep," Ceruledge nodded apathetically.
Armarouge, picking up one of the orbs reluctantly, looked it over for a moment…Before tossing it. Midair, the center cracked open, light exploding out and crashing against the ground. The flash practically blinded the two, and as soon as it dissipated, it revealed not only the ball, opened up across the dock…
But also a Pokémon, her form now exposed. Her presence almost felt mythical in nature, resembling that of a beast with an elongated horn. Settled onto her face was a pair of glasses, the edges cracked, while wrapped around her neck was a scarf as white as her fur, the tips of which almost looked burned. Atop her head was a sunhat, the shade below it only managing to illuminate the dark underside of her skin, which itself resembled the handbag wrapped around her body.
"Absol," Armarouge anxiously greeted, "how was the-"
"W-Where am I?!" She squeaked out, jumping in place and shuffling backward, her delayed panic coming back in full force, "Where's the port?! All the others?!" She started going through her bag, still moving all the while, "Do I have my things?! Oh no, oh jeez-"
She yelped as she backed right into a camera, knocking it over. She gasped, turning around and expressing, "Oh my goodness I'm so sorry, that looks so expensive-" Then she caught herself, "Wait, why am I apologizing- you kidnapped me! Or…Was I kidnapped? Ohhhhhh, this is just my luck- Ahh!" She had backed into even more equipment and subsequently broken it, a routine she was quickly getting caught up in.
And helpless to do anything but look on, Armarouge stared at their new arrival…Then turned a disappointed glare onto Ceruledge, "Ceru…How exactly did we get them in these?" She asked, holding one of Poké Balls aloft.
Ceruledge blinked, then shrugged, grumbling, "I don't know; I think they just jumped them when they reached the port. This was probably cheaper than giving them a ride anyway."
Sighing, Armarouge forced herself to accept the situation as she laid her eyes upon the still panicking girl, who at this point had caused about a few thousand dollars in property damage from the cameras and lights alone.
"Absol!" The arrival in question skidded to a halt, turning to the hostess as she explained, "Everything's okay; this is Total Drama! You know…You signed up for it." With a dawning realization, she hastily asked her sister, "...She did do that, right?" Ceruledge nodded. "Oh thank goodness."
"...O-Oh! Total Drama…Hehe…R-Right…Right…" Absol whispered, slowly looking around at the chaos she spurred, and forced a laugh, "S-Sorry everyone! I uh…You know…First time traveling from home, I guess I just…Uh…" She gave up on explaining as she looked over the crew's dissatisfied glares, "...Right."
Adjusting the camera, Absol smiled to herself, stepping back to reveal her bedroom; it was small and lacked decorations, with the exception of what looked like a phone on her desk.
"Hi! I'm Marianne, and I would love to be on your new show, Drama Total-" she bit her tongue, "n-no, I meant Total Drama! Yeah! Hehe, woah, way to go, Mari, am I right…"
She giggled nervously, before clearing her throat, "Now uh…I did sorta audition for this other show, but they told me I was too much of a risssssssssssssk…" She drawled out, her eyes going wide, "...For the ratings that is! Y-Yeah, I'd be uh…Way too good! W-Wouldn't be much of a show if I was on, cause I am so good at uh…Nature…And talking…Yep! B-But I'm sure I can tone it down!"
She nodded along, mentally facepalming as she continued, "Yep! There'd be absolutely nothing wrong with letting me compete-"
The phone on her desk suddenly went off, calling out, "You have one new message…BEEP!" And soon, a voice replaced it, "Uh, yeah, Marianne? This is your doctor. Just wanted to let you know the cost of damages on your last visit, so if you could get your mom to call me back-"
Without thinking, Absol suddenly thrust her whole body forward and knocked the phone off the desk, crashing to the ground. She forced a smile, "T-That was nothing! A-Anyway, looking forward to-"
The room started to shake, Absol's pupils shrinking as she slowly looked toward where the phone landed…Just as the floor started to give way, "AHHHHHHHHH-"
Absol (Marianne Pechman)
The Disaster Magnet
"Now then, Absol," Armarouge started once more, before gesturing behind her, "over here, please."
Absol quickly nodded, forcing a smile and walking over, nearly tripping over her footing in the process. As this happened, Ceruledge took the initiative and quickly released the next player.
He was a large, intimidating figure, his broadened shoulders and narrowed expression hardened like stone into this immovable presence. Jagged scars ran across his chest, his body muscular yet unnurtured, seeming leaner compared to the usual body type of his species; of which, he resembled an otter with a long, flowing mustache that had grayed early into his youth. His body was armored, the top of his head resembled a samurai's helmet, while his arms held sheathes for the bladed shells his race was known for…And yet, said blades looked to be more tan, and…Artificial.
The otter turned toward the hosts, growling through his straining expression. Ceruledge looked unphased…Unlike her sister, who had taken to cowering behind her. "S-Samurott," Armarouge chirped out from her cover, "h-hi-"
Slicing through the air and aiming at the pair, Samurott had unsheathed his blade- revealing it to not be the shelled sword most would expect, but instead, it looked to be made from wood, carved out into the style. Worse yet, it miraculously looked sharper.
He narrowed a glare, something Ceruledge countered with her own.
A held camera was currently panning across a set of woods, before landing onto a Haunter floating into frame, banging some pots and pans together. "Helloooooooo…Squatch? Come on out!" He called out.
"Ryan, I seriously doubt he's out here," a voice behind the camera said, "pretty sure those sightings are a bunch of nonsense."
"No way, Shane, I know this lead's gotta be real," the Haunter defended, "especially with all those reported thefts as of recent; dude's hunting, and he's taking the people's food now! This is our chance to maybe get some on-camera footage…" Little was he aware…A pair of eyes had just peeked out from the bush.
"Uhhhhh…Ryan…What's that?" The voice asked, causing the Haunter to perk a brow, turning around-
And the figure lunged out.
The pair screamed, the camera hitting the ground as a Haunter and Charmeleon ran away, having left behind the pot and pan as well. And after a moment, an arm reached down and began to collect the fallen items.
They then picked up the camera, revealing…Samurott, staring into it, confused…Before shrugging, and pocketing it as well.
Samurott (Rassah Dmitriev)
The Survivalist
The two's staredown continued, Ceruledge and Samurott's glares tearing straight into each other's souls…
Until both seemed to come to a sort of mutual agreement of peace, both stepping back with Samurott sheathing his sword. The two gave each other a nod, and he walked along, the silent samurai mentally comforted by the lack of escalation, not that he'd confirm as much.
Samurott arrived beside Absol, going quiet as he turned back to stare down whoever would be released next…Blissfully unaware of the girl beside him looking him over. She smiled, leaning forward, "Hi, I'm Absol- well…You know, for the show, not actually!" The otter gave her a side-eye…Then returned to staring forward. She forced a laugh, then awkwardly looked off.
The next release, however, revealed an even rowdier figure. He was a short creature, his resting glare and constant snarling saying all you needed to know about him. His tiny arms and strong arms were crusted over by a thick layer of mud and cement, and his maroon, boulder-like head had a beanie wrapped over it, one that was orange and white; almost like a traffic cone. The modern dinosaur snorted, exposing for the briefest of moments his sharp teeth.
Having left her safety, Armarouge brushed herself off and smiled at him, "Hello, Cranidos. How're you feeling?"
"...Peachy," he growled out.
Cranidos was standing beside a large, loose rock, which itself looked mostly devastated, several indents in its side that suspiciously were about the size of the dinosaur's head. The boy in question was glaring down the camera with a nasty glare. And just behind him…An active construction site.
"Name's C, got it? Good. Cause I don't like repeating myself," he spat, snorting as he leaned back against the rock, "see, I'm well known 'round here for being the toughest guy around. I don't take crap from anyone!" Little did he know, a pair of passing workers were snickering under their breath at his words.
"Yet somehow, whenever some city slicker comes into my town, they always underestimate me. Nobody's gonna look down on me!" He snarled, "And if you think for a second I'll let anything get in the way of me and that money, you've got another thing coming!"
He roared out, jumping to his feet and smashing his skull into the rock; he didn't even flinch as he watched it fall apart. Seething out, he took a moment to breathe, "...Truth is, all I'm looking for is a little respect. Nothing wrong with that."
Cranidos narrowed his eyes, stepping up to the camera with a scowl, "But they try anything I don't like, and they'll realize real quick how well I take that kinda crap-"
Cranidos (Calvin Black)
The Temperamental
Scratching behind his skull, an exceedingly difficult task with those tiny hands of his, Cranidos turned to the competition thus far, "These chumps who I'm up against."
"Uh…Yep!" Armarouge nodded along.
Cranidos centered his glare squarely onto the two at such confirmation, "Good to know…" In particular, as he stepped up to them, he began to eye up Samurott. His imposing stature and stone-faced expression…It felt…Mocking.
"You got something to say, jerk," the boy seethed. Samurott, either not wanting a fight, or simply not wanting to indulge the dinosaur's thought process, ignored him. To Cranidos, this stood out as only weakness. "That's what I thought…"
Absol, taken aback by the false standoff, awkwardly fidgeted in place, stepping forward, "Uh…Is there-"
And that was apparently a mistake, Cranidos turning his glare onto her, "You got something to say? Huh?!" Absol yelped, stepping back in a panic-
Which in turn, finally made Samurott step in, standing between the two, his emotions still painfully nonpresent. Such confrontation, no matter how brief, threw Cranidos off track, though he quickly recovered, "What, you wanna go?! Huh?!"
Cranidos practically started jumping in place around the otter, waiting for an attack that wouldn't come as Samurott merely stood in place. Yet, from a few feet back, Absol looked over the interaction, and the water-type's defense, and found herself…Distracted.
"Ain't it a sight watching boys fight?"
"...Yeah," Absol whispered…Then realized someone had whispered in her ear.
She screamed, dashing forward and catching the boy's attention- especially Cranidos', as she practically trampled over the kid. And laughing it up, positively thrilled by the reaction she had gotten, was our fourth contestant, floating up and through the dock.
By sight alone, she was clearly a ghost, one whose colors blended royal purple and neon magenta. She wore a wicked grin like a mask, and her eyes, glowing and wide, with her eyeshadow only helping them stand out more, they could practically stare right into your soul. A spiked collar was wrapped around her neck, and chains hung loosely from her drifting body; working in conjunction alongside her witch hat like head, certainly gave off a certain vibe- that she was bad news.
"Man, that was freaking priceless," Mismagius laughed, floating toward the group with a smirk, "I can already tell you're gonna be fun…"
Absol shook in place at the threat; she wasn't foreign to them, of course. The number of times she had been chased out of whatever business was unlucky enough to have caught her attention was near endless, and they were rarely friendly afterward. Yet, this girl and her way of speaking…It certainly felt different in the worst way.
"Mismagius, everyone," Armarouge called out, tossing the open ball in her hand aside.
"Damn straight," Mismagius said, before continuing her little laughing fit.
"Wanna know what I want out of this Total Drama show?" Mismagius asked aloud, her form floating through what looked to be an alleyway in the middle of nowhere. "I wanna mess with peeps, that's what!"
"The guys around here have gotten so boring!" She pouted. "They know what to expect now; I need some fresh meat! And who better than a bunch of lame-o's going for cash they don't deserve? I'm coming out there and going against the grain, and taking everyone down with me!"
Police sirens rang out in the distance, catching her attention. Giggling, she gave the camera a wink, "Trust me; pick me, and you'll never see a boring day."
She proceeded to float backward, her body disappearing into the wall and out of sight.
Mismagius (Lorraine "Lori" Finkelstein)
The Rebel
The fifth arrival came with a breeze, a harsh wind blowing over the dock as the light settled. In its place stood a badger, her skin darkened unlike the blazing inferno along her neck. Armor hung loosely to her chest and side, held together by leather straps hand-woven by her personally. Strapped to her side with a custom-made holder- a sword, crafted from the finest of metals. Her body, rigid stiff from constant strife and untold battles, stood ready for anything, something well conveyed by her hardened expression.
"Typhlosion!" Armarouge greeted, catching the ghost's attention.
Forcing a smile, Typhlosion offered a swift bow, muttering a simple, "It's a pleasure." Based on her tone, calling such pleasantries a lie would be an understatement.
The camera pans across several picture frames; each depicting what looked to be a different historical moment from the far, far past, painted to resemble them as close as possible.
"In my day, I was a hero; champion of my people," Typhlosion's voice described from offscreen, as the camera passed by several battlefields, hundreds of mons rushing into combat with one another, "I led my men into battle, day after day. We defended against the worst armies in all of Galar, and never yielded to their infernal rage…"
The camera landed on a specific image; one of a grave and a simple wooden plank with her name carved into it, "And so, on the day of my passing, I held no regrets, and I closed my eyes in acceptance, buried by men…In the enemy territory of Hisui, and unexpectedly, one day, my eyes opened up once more." It panned over to the next immediate picture; the exact same thing, only the plank looked aged and about ready to fall apart, and Typhlosion had erupted out of the dirt in horror.
Reality setting in, the camera arrived in a quaint living room, Typhlosion in her wooden chair, sharpening her sword against whetstone. "I have no idea even now why I was granted a second chance at life by the Gods above, and I've tried to make the best of it where I can…But this world isn't the one I left behind."
Looking over the blade, she squinted at it, then sighed, placing it up onto a shelf. "I have no friends. No family, as far as I know. Nobody to pass on my knowledge, yet cursed with eternal life, with the only compassion I receive from others coming from the legends surrounding my name and not the value I hold myself."
"In a world I can not accept, I must find comfort in what I can get…" She whispered, "So…I ask you this…Would you be willing to offer a dying willow an opportunity to show the world who she truly is? Allow them to see her in reality, and not etched into writings of old…"
Closing her eyes, she leaned into the seat, breathing in and out, her fluttering flames simmering down as she tried in vain to find any sense of feeling. And yet, in the moment, and all moments following that, it all just felt…Empty.
Typhlosion - Hisuian (Joan Sullivan)
The Living Legend
Bowing to her fellow competitors, Typhlosion turned her head and said, "Greetings, adversaries. I'm looking most forward to our coming battle."
"Battle?" Absol whimpered a bit away.
"Uh, news flash, dork," Mismagius began, barely paying the knight much mind, "we ain't fighting jackshit out here."
"Indeed, but a competition this remains; thus, we'll be dueling one way or another," she continued, her voice friendly enough, yet…Slightly unnerving. As if she had seen more of these 'duels' than she'd allow herself to mention.
Cranidos scoffed at this, grumbling out, "Who stuck a rod up her butt?" Mismagius snickered at these words, the two bullies less than impressed by the new arrival's display.
Not that Typhlosion would allow such disrespect to get her down. Not this early; this was no time to allow weakness. "Think what you will- I'm merely prepared, and shall be all I say further on the manner."
The badger stepped forward, her head held high as she passed the two. On her way forward, however, she couldn't help but make eye contact with Samurott, the two's passing gaze causing both to momentarily straighten. They had seen something in each other, yet no confrontation came to pass…Yet.
The sixth arrival ran straight through the flash of light, his wide red eyes looking positively terrified- for the two or so seconds he managed to stay on his feet at least, as he catapulted straight into the ground. Everyone flinched back at the sight, though to his credit, he quickly recovered, pushing his large purple body to his feet. He was another ghost, though certainly not as rowdy as his peer. And he looked just a tad…Overprepared; his backpack was close to twice his height, likely filled with everything and anything he could get his hands on. Such overpreparation came through in his clothes as well, with custom-made glasses covering his eyes, alongside an undone dark purple jacket, likely kept open due to his unfortunate gut.
The ghost paced in place awkwardly, his gaze erratically darting around; it almost felt like every movement registered as a risk in his mind, as if he were afraid to take his eyes off his surroundings for even a second, something the hosts were quick to notice.
"Uh...Hi Gengar," Armarouge started, "is everything alright?" She smiled at a thought, "You seem a little...Spooked." Ceruledge's glare grew sharp. "...You know...Cause he's a ghost-"
"Stop."
"I…I don't really leave my house much," Gengar muttered to the camera, currently sitting on what looked to be a worn out couch, "I live in Lavender Town, which is…Sort of a tourist trap. It's Halloween every day here…And that's the problem."
He shook in place, his eyes darting from side to side, "Every time I go out, p-people are being monsters! Always trying to scare me! I hate it! A-And they won't leave me alone, even when I'm at my own house-"
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door, laughing voices outside as Gengar held himself close. After a few moments, he heaved a sigh and gave the camera a desperate look, "Please…Get me outta here!"
Gengar (Leopold "Leo" Hardie)
The Paranoiac
Turning to the hosts, Gengar nervously tapped his hands together, stuttering out, "Y-Yeah, I should be good. I uh...J-Just need a minute."
Sympathetic to his plight, Armarouge stepped forward, "First time away from home, big guy?" Reluctantly, Gengar confirmed as much with a nod, "Aw...Well, don't worry, alright? There's nothing out here you should be scared of."
"Besides the abandoned island," Ceruledge drulled out.
Armarouge sent a pointed look her sister's way, who only met as much with a shrug. Gengar, however, quickly reacted with fear. "A-Abandoned?! I-I thought we were staying at a resort!" Reaching into his backpack, he pulled out a brochure, "S-See! Nani Loa Resort! I-It had a relaxation spa! It's supposed to relieve stress! Where's the resort?!"
Before Armarouge could answer, her sister did so, "Nowhere. We lied."
"Ceru!" The hostess lambasted.
"What, you want me to lie to him? He's a big boy, he can get over it," Ceruledge dismissed.
Panicked at such a revelation, Gengar forced a meek, "Y-You can't keep me here! I'm leaving!" He turned to leave- only to notice his place in the middle of the ocean…
"Yeah, that's not happening," Ceruledge deadpanned, "and FYI, leaving the island is in violation once the competition has started is in violation of your contract, so unless you got a good lawyer, I'd say man up."
Armarouge turned a pointed glare at her sister…Then sighed, nodding along, "Sorry, but she is right. For the moment...You're stuck here…Sorry."
Gengar began to breath heavily, pacing in place again…Then groaned, "I should have known this was gonna happen...Gah! I'm so stupid!" He started smacking himself repeatedly as he floated away, "Stupid, stupid, stupid!"
Ceruledge watches him off with a shake of her head, turning away- only to see Armarouge staring her down in disapproval. "What?"
While those two talked, Gengar finished his flurry of smacks, and muttered to himself, "Y-Y'know what? It's fine...I-I'm fine…" He breathed in, readying himself, "Y-You can do this...You can do this…" As he was hyping himself up, he didn't even seem to notice as another figure started floating up from the dock behind him. "B-Besides...At least you're not in Lavender Town anymore…"
"No…You're somewhere much worse!"
Gengar screamed out in fear, running forward in absolute terror- straight at the other players! Cranidos in particular, "Hey! You got something to say to me-"
Gengar proceeded to outright push Cranidos outta the way before jumping forward and hiding behind Typhlosion in absolute terror. Typhlosion was more confused than anything as laughter resonated over the scene, Mismagius floating up outta the dock again, "Woo! Two for two! I'm on a freaking roll!"
"...Charming," Typhlosion muttered to herself, as Gengar hid under his backpack behind her.
The seventh player was soon released, coming in the form of a crow, his chest puffed out and natural hat tipped forward, a prominent smirk growing across his beak. He wore a vest and a personally designed belt, which held all sorts of trinkets; handcuffs, a Poké Ball of his own, a flashlight, a baton, a pack of gum, anything he'd describe as an essential. In just about every way, the man wore his personality, and career on his sleeve, and he was proud of it.
"G'day ladies," he greeted, tipping his hat. He had a thick Australian accent.
Giggling at introduction, Armarouge beamed a smile at the bird, "Good day, yourself, Honchkrow." Ceruledge rolled her eyes in the background.
"'Ya ask me, not enough people are getting what they deserve these days," Honchkrow grumbled from behind a poorly lit desk in his private office, currently tinkering with a pair of cuffs, "so many crimes going unanswered for. It'd make a weaker man cower in his boots, 'ya know."
"Used to be a cop if you'd believe it," he chuckled…Then glared, "but all that did was prove my worries. They weren't doing freaking nothing. All paperwork and crap, and all the while they were so willing to cover for each other despite being far from clean themselves. It made me sick…"
"Thankfully, I got something out of it; a love of apple fritters, a new best friend, and a newfound passion…For justice!" He boasted, standing up from his desk and smirking at the camera. "So, as a bit of incentive for you Sheilas casting this…You wanna save on security while making sure nobody's getting their hands dirty? Then I'm your mate…Mate!"
Sitting back down and leaning back into his chair, he threw his feet up onto his desk and wrapped his wings around his head, "Trust me, ain't nothing getting past me out there-" He tried to pull his left wing further- only to realize he couldn't.
He looked to his side…And realized he had accidentally cuffed himself to his desk. "Aw crud…" He called out, "Od! Od! Where the bloody Hell are the keys to these things?! Od?!"
Honchkrow (Edward "Ed" Jackal)
The Detective
"How do 'ya do, mates?" Honchkrow asked, floating up to the competition with a smile. "Great day, ain't it?"
"Depends; you gonna stop talking soon…" Cranidos grumbled, having pushed himself up off the ground.
"Now, that ain't no way to greet a stranger, ain't it, buddy?" Honchkrow replied, laughing to himself as the dinosaur scowled at the bird. "Come on, now, why all the long faces? Ain't we here for a good time?"
"I don't even wanna be here!" Gengar snapped from the back of the pack, still cowering.
"And my good time requires all of you to have a bad time!" Mismagius snickered.
Giving the two looks, Honchkrow shook his head, oblivious as Absol stepped up to him, "Well…I came here for that."
"You see, now that's more like it," the bird nodded, laughing to himself as he looked the girl over…And smirked, "looks like I was right; the pretty ones are always smart."
The dark-type's face flushed at the compliment, stumbling backward with a giggle at the unexpected compliment, "O-Oh! I-I'm pretty?! T-Thank you, I-I uh- uh…" Unsure how to keep talking, she fell into a laughing fit, something that certainly amused the bird.
"Now that's just embarrassing."
Honchkrow turned to look behind him at such words, and saw standing not far from him the eighth competitor; she was tall and slender, with a lizard-like body and a truly gorgeous face. She was currently applying the last of her make-up, her scales sleeked back to utter perfection. She had on a pair of diamond earrings, and a tan faux suede jacket, opened up to expose her perfect body. As soon as she finished applying the last of her eyeshadow, she placed her makeup bag away into the maroon handbag wrapped around her, as she gave the group ahead a condescending glare.
Though momentarily distracted by the sight, Honchkrow forced himself to shake the thoughts blooming in his head away, blushing to himself as he grumbled under his breath, "Quite the choice of first words to your new pals…"
"Oh, don't flatter yourself," she shrugged, "that'd imply I even considered any of you for worthwhile company." The bird stared the girl down for this, something she only replied to with a confident smirk.
"...Salazzle, everyone," Armarouge called out nervously, "...Yay…"
The camera was currently set-up in what looked to be a backstage dressing room. Salazzle was dolled up in a stunning outfit, checking herself out in the mirror, before slowly turning to the camera. "Oh, sorry. Didn't see you come in. I was a bit…Distracted by the view."
Chuckling lowly, she leaned back against the make-up desk, posting herself up in such a way to truly show off her stunning details; she really did look made for television. "See…I already know you're going to pick me. You probably wanna spice up your viewer retention a bit with a class-A diva, am I right? One whose pretty enough to keep even the most lowly of suckers tuning in for more…"
"Well, while I'm happy to fill the role, I promise…I'm much more than just a pretty face," she bragged, her smirk creeping along her face like a twisting knife, "the second I'm in the game, I'm there to win. And I'll be happy to put on a show along the way."
"Angela, you're up in five."
Salazzle looked to the side unimpressed, then giggled. "Well, there's my cue. Don't forget me now…Oh, who am I kidding, you won't." She blew the camera a kiss, and walked off.
Salazzle (Angela Duke)
The Mean Girl
Salazzle's little showdown with Honchkrow quickly lost much of its allure due to the bird's staggeringly limited glare; seems for all his efforts, he was struggling to truly stay mad at her. Not that she could blame him, as if nothing else, she was well and truly confident in her own qualities.
Turning her glare toward the rest of the cast, she couldn't deny a feeling of disappointment; they were hardly anything impressive, with the exception of Typhlosion and Samurott. If nothing else, they at least looked strong, though likely lacked in the brains department if she had to guess.
Oh well, that'd just make this all easier.
Strutting forward, she smirked to herself, "Step aside, losers. In fact, better yet, use this as your opportunity to drop out now, cause I ain't leaving without that prize."
"Lots of talk for walking plastic," Mismagius jabbed, whistling innocently when Salazzle turned a scowl at her.
"Yeah, with all that make-up and perfume, I doubt you're lasting a day in the rough," Cranidos further pushed- before cringing when she flicked him in the nose, "ow!"
"Save the insults for someone insecure enough to take them, dweeb," Salazzle stated, walking forward as he rubbed his face, grumbling under his breath.
Soon enough, the ninth player was released. He was floating just above the ground with his wings, his body resembling a strange mix between a scorpion and a bat, with particularly jagged fangs. A white headband was wrapped around his head, and a medal was around his neck. He was lean, though muscular; he had clearly trained for this, a fact he was proud of out the gate.
Armarouge smiled, "Gliscor! Welcome to the show."
Throwing on a smirk, he let out a laugh, proudly flexing his muscles as he exclaimed, "Finally! Was waiting for when I'd get my grand entrance!"
The camera panned across a private gym, as Gliscor flew into frame, proudly showing off his award-winning smile. "Sup Total Drama; the name's Brick! Brick Dragmire; you know, of the Dragmire fam, the ones who freaking dominate the Pokéathlon! Boom!" He flicked his wrist away, pointing toward something offscreen.
Which was soon revealed in the form of a large collection of medals, all belonging to the dozens of Dragmires who had competed in the game over the years.
"Yeah…We're kind of a big deal," Gliscor further bragged, "and better yet, you'll be getting me, next in line to sweep it in every category! I'm an all-around threat, and I never lose! And if the losers I'm up against can't keep up, then they better get ready to eat my dust!"
Hollering with hype, he readied his ears toward a nonexistent crowd, whooping at them and preparing his personal celebration for after he inevitably swept the game and took home the gold- until a ball suddenly smacked him in the back of the head.
"Hey! Who threw that?! Was that you, Tommy?!" Roaring with rage, he gave chase. "Come back here, you little punk! You ruined my audition! I'm gonna punch you so hard your head'll come off! Tommy!"
Gliscor (Brick Dragmire)
The Jock
"So, this is my competition?" Gliscor asked confidently to the unassuming players before him. "Pfft. They should pack up now, cause I'm-"
"Yeah, somebody beat you to the 'better than thou' speech already, mate," Honchkrow interrupted, "just get on with it already."
"Wha- w-well…Whatever! Point still stands!" Gliscor spat out, huffing as he cockily stated, "You're all going down, down, down! Wooh!"
"Ooooooooooh, he's gonna be fun…" Mismagius whispered, snickering to herself. An uncomfortable Gengar took a step away.
The tenth player was subsequently released…Not that he'd actually notice as much, his eyes too focused on the comic in his hand. He was a crab, and a short one at that. Over his eyes were a pair of rounded glasses, far larger than anything he actually needed, and a custom-made red hoodie was hung over his back shell and up to his claws, which gently flipped to the next page. He also seemed to have taken the extra effort to clip a little bowtie onto his chest, as if he had been expecting a more formal introduction, or more likely, since that very well likely could be his own, fictional thought process on how this sort of show would open up.
"Uh…Hello?" Armarouge called out. "Earth to Corphish?"
"Hey, pay attention already," Ceruledge grunted, stepping forward and poking at the book, pushing it out of the crab's view.
He blinked for a moment, almost as if coming out of a trance. He looked up, a bit of a blush on his face as he let out a sheepish chuckle. "Oh, sorry about that. Just uh…Good story, you know? Heh…"
Hanging out in his garage, laying out on a beanbag with a comic book in hand, tv going in the background, was Corphish. He kept reading…And reading…And reading-
"Alfred, we're going."
"Huh- oh, right! Sorry!" Delicately placing the comic aside, Corphish waved to camera with a doofy smile, "Uh, hey. I'm Alf, and I thought it'd be pretty cool to be on your show."
Scratching the back of his head, he admitted, "Sure, I don't really know much about reality tv, but with college all wrapped up, my bank account is…Uh…A little empty, and you know how jobs are these days, so I'm sorta running on low. Besides, how bad could it be, right?"
"Right! That's a good attitude, Alfred."
Corphish beamed at the compliment…Then blinked. "Wait…I should probably email them about my allergies, right? Oh, and the bathroom situation. What sort of blankets they use too, and what they'll be feeding us- ooh, I wonder what books they got, maybe they'll-"
As the crab started to rattle all sorts of nothings to himself, the camera walked away. It eventually focused on a Kingler glaring at it just outside the room. "Look, my kid doesn't get out much. This could be healthy for him…And me, cause I really want him out of this garage. So pick him, would 'ya?"
"Hey dad, what do you think I should bring with me? I already settled on my favorite comics, so which game station do you want to keep?"
The Kingler just sighed in disappointment. "He could have gotten a football scholarship, but no, his mother thought it'd be bad for him. Never shoulda listened to her-"
Corphish (Alfred Hill)
The Nerd
"Woah…" Corphish whispered, stepping toward the edge of the dock and looking out at the island before him. "So…We're gonna be doing this at a Summer camp?"
"That's right, Corphish!" Armarouge nodded along.
"...Cool," he chirped, seemingly content with the revelation, almost laughing about it, "it'll be just like when I was in the scouts, only you know, with less Capri Sun and Dreamcatchers made of rainbow string." He pulled out his phone, "Real quick, what's the WiFi password-"
The phone was suddenly plucked out of his hand by Cyclizar, much to his surprise. The crab looked toward the crew, the stagehand shaking his head as Armarouge stepped forward, "Sorry, Corphish; no communication on the island of any kind during the game."
"Oh…No phones?" He pondered aloud. "I don't even know the last time I didn't have it on me…Huh…" After a moment though, he smiled to himself, "It's almost like a hard mode…For life!" He chuckled, "That might be fun!"
"See, that's the spirit!" Armarouge said, honestly just happy to be dealing with someone who actually looked happy to be here. "Now…Go mingle! Have fun!"
"Haha, challenge accepted!" Corphish smiled, walking forward as the two watched him go.
Armarouge nudged her sister, "I like him."
"Cool…Too bad he's totally unprepared for this sorta thing," Ceruledge replied, her sister's expression falling at such a statement…Not that she truly disagreed.
In fact, Corphish himself, the moment he was out of their sight, couldn't help but let a bit of his own insecurity break through, his comfort slowly eroding in anxiety as he looked over his surroundings. In truth, this was…A lot. And very different from his lifestyle. But…But…
"...Still gotta try," he whispered, and continued forward.
Arrival eleven came in the form of a large mongoose, thinner than most of species, though not by much. A focus band was wrapped loosely around her neck, looking fairly worn out, not unlike her fur itself, which looked to be lacking proper grooming for how active her lifestyle was. She had on a pair of shades, tinted red like a rose. And all across her face, seemingly never leaving, was her grin, wide and carefree with spirit unbridled by the burdens of man.
"Zangoose! Welcome to Total Drama Island!" Armarouge repeated like clockwork, as she had done many times before.
"Hell yeah," Zangoose called back, practically running toward the hostess and taking her hand, shaking it with all her strength and nearly pulling off the her arm, "so pumped for this! It's gonna be sick!"
"W-What great energy," Armarouge whimpered, her whole world dizzy as she took a step back, steadied by ready sister, who stared down the excited mongoose with distaste.
"Hell yeah it is," Zangoose chuckled, smiling as adjusted her shades, "all energy, all the time, baby! Never let the fire go out!"
"...I already don't like you," Ceruledge growled as she helped Armarouge stand properly.
Holding up the camera with her right hand, Zangoose gave it a peace sign, "Yo yo, Maya here! And I'm gonna tell you why having me on Total Drama would be freaking killer! First off, I'll take anything you throw at me head-on!"
The camera suddenly cut to a past recording, one of Zangoose climbing up a mountain, prying herself up with her claws and wiping the growing sweat from her brow. "Man, is it getting hot, or is it just me? Trick question, it's always me!" As she laughed, the camera zoomed out…Revealing she was actually climbing a volcano.
"Second, I love to explore."
Once again, it cut to a past recording, one of what looked to be a beautiful scenic view of a waterfall in the middle of nowhere. "Woah…Nice! This is freaking baller man, why is nobody else here-"
"Hey! This is private property! Stop right there!"
"Oops, gotta go!" She whispered, breaking out into a sprint with her camera.
"And thirdly," Zangoose began one last time, "I am absolutely freaking fearless!"
It, again, cut to a past recording, where from a boat, a Swampert was filming Zangoose swimming away from a horde of Sharpedo, holding a tooth aloft calling out, "I got one! Wooh-" She narrowly dodged a bite, screaming, "Start the boat, start the boat!"
"So uh…Yeah," Zangoose nodded to the camera, "I'm kinda the real deal, know what I'm saying. You only live once, right? Well…I'mma live it hard and wild! Yeah, yeah!"
Zangoose (Maya Nemati)
The Thrill Seeker
"Heyo my peeps, how's it hanging!" Zangoose called out to the growing crowd. "We hyped for this shindig or what, my boys and gals?"
As if such phrasing had triggered the fight response in his head, Cranidos glared, "Who you calling a boy-"
He was promptly pushed aside by Gliscor, who cheered as well, "Hell yeah, I am! Can't wait to get my hands on that cold, hard cash!"
"Good luck with that," Salazzle whispered while filing her nails.
"Yo, man, I ain't talking winning or nothing," Zangoose laughed, catching Gliscor off-guard as he gave her a look, "I'm talking the experience, my man. This is once in a lifetime kinda shizz, my dude; we gotta live it up, throw a party or something!"
"Party?" Mismagius perked up, popping between the two outta the blue and pulling the mongoose close, "Now you're speaking my language."
"English?" Corphish asked aloud innocently enough, though was swiftly ignored.
"Hell yeah, we gotta party! First night here, it's practically a requirement!" Zangoose continued.
Other grumps in the midst couldn't help but admit that such an idea was an exciting thought, Salazzle and Cranidos paying the new arrival their attention for as much. Gliscor, however, just scoffed, "Sure, you can go ahead with that if you want, while I'm busy actually preparing to take this game by the horns!"
"Where are the horns?" Corphish asked aloud again, though this time was at least acknowledged with a glare by Gliscor.
The twelfth arrival…Certainly had a very different energy from the previous player. She was well-built, body made from steel and resembling that of an Amazonian warrior, with more blades than not. A blue scarf was wrapped around her neck, fluttering through the wind, its vibrancy clashing against the dull reds and grays of her body. Pinned to her chest was a badge of honor proudly showing her rank; captain. Oddly enough, she was actually rather short for her species, and yet her intimidating qualities managed to break through.
"Captain Bisharp, glad to have you," Armarouge giggled, giving the woman a mock salute, something Ceruledge reluctantly followed in. Predictably, Bisharp returned the salute.
"Attention," Bisharp called out, her form standing front and center in the middle of a large room lacking in any sort of decoration. She stared down the camera, speaking firmly yet respectfully, "to the creators of Total Drama Island, I have come to give my call to action as one of your contestants."
"I have trained since the day I was born to be the strongest of my people; I've fought hard each and every day for the steps I have taken up our social hierarchy, outpacing the men who tried to slow me down to get where I am now," she stated firmly, "and even as we speak, I shall continue to train. To push my limit."
"And so, I ask of you; aid in my journey toward becoming a worthy leader of my people," she declared, folding her arms in front of her as her glare hardened, "offer me a true challenge. And I assure you…I can handle it- no…I will dominate it."
After a moment of harsh staring, she simply said, "That is all."
Bisharp (Olivia Baumer)
The Soldier
Upon laying her eyes on a fellow woman of war, Typhlosion couldn't help but stand straight, watching Bisharp's every move with an aura of curiosity. "Interesting…"
"You can say that again," Honchkrow crowed from beside her, laughing to himself as he looked the new girl over, "quite the sight if you ask me." He let out a low purr, the following caws doing little to hide his intent.
"...Not quite what I meant," she muttered, turning attention back toward the woman as she stomped forward.
Bisharp came to a stop beside Samurott, the two exchanging a glance…Then returning to their prior silence. Neither looked to be the sort to say much, a fact Typhlosion was keen to observe.
Though that'd unfortunately have to wait until later, as the thirteenth arrival brought with it an unfortunately attention grabbing man, "The Hell was that?!"
His voice was harsh and grating, almost raspy with a deeper hiss. He was a large bug, a centipede in particular, whose colors and hostile expression spoke without words, "don't mess with me". His exterior armor was covered with indented cuts and scars, and it looked like he had a black eye. Similar to Bisharp, he had on a scarf, one colored black and gray, though it was clearly seeing the end of its days soon how many tears there were. If anything was clear, the guy looked like bad news.
"...Scolipede," Armarouge welcomed, though based on her tone, she wasn't exactly as open to his arrival. In fact, she looked downright dismissive of it, something her sister was keen to notice.
Scolipede grunted out a scoff, grumbling, "Nice to meet you too." He was holding onto that glare of his like it was like or death itself, the contestant and hostess locked into mental combat as they stared into each other's souls.
After a bit, he huffed, storming past her with a disgruntled, "Whatever…"
As he walked away, Ceruledge stepped toward her sis, whispering, "So…He one of the ones you didn't want?"
"Network vetoed me; said he'd be 'good for ratings'," Armarouge whispered back, shaking her head, "I don't trust him being here; his background check was a nightmare with how often he's been involved with the law."
"Well, bright side to that," Ceruledge smirked, "he probably won't last long then, will he?" This comment was enough to make Armarouge smile, a low giggle leaving her. And while Ceruledge wouldn't admit it, such a fact helped her to smile as well.
Shuffling up to the cast, Scolipede threw on the best scowl he could as he passed a camera, snapping, "The fuck you looking at, asshole?" The camera man averted his gaze. "That's what I thought…"
"Being real with you…I don't know jackshit about your show," Scolipede grumbled; he was sitting at the bar of some rinky dink tavern in the middle of no man's land. A shot slid up to him, which he took in one of his many tiny hands as he continued, "doesn't really matter too much to me, y'know? Probably gonna be just like any other garbage on tv. So nah, fuck it, I'll deal with whatever."
He threw the shot back, before placing the glass aside and giving the camera a glare, "Frankly, I just want an out; out of this shitheel I call a life. Day after day, getting harassed by those fucking pigs, eating shit out the gas station dumpster, and God, don't even get me started on all dickheads I gotta work with to keep the lights on!"
"Whoever you got so far, they don't know nothing 'bout surviving! They got their houses, and schools, and all that crap, meanwhile I'm taking on the fucking world day after day," he growled out, "but winning some cash? That could mean the world of a difference; a nobody like me finally having his chance to live the life of the fat cats."
"So…While I don't know what your Total Drama whatever is about…I'm winning it." He clearly stated, his scowl softening, "Cause there ain't no alternative…Now piss off, I'm trying to forget my name."
Scolipede (Axel Droog)
The Hoodlum
Most of them cast looked on at the new arrival with mixed expressions; some looked fearful, others suspicious. Gengar however managed to blend both, his wide eyes locked onto Scolipede, as if petrified by his near presence. And when he got too close, he couldn't help but squeak out a sound.
"You say something to me?" Scolipede grumbled at the ghost. Gengar shook where he stood, and this just managed to piss the bug off, "Well come on, what is it?!"
"N-Nothing!" Gengar whimpered. "Please don't hurt me!"
Scolipede growled at the ghost, but before he could say anything, Typhlosion stepped between the two, stating, "You've gotten your answer, now off with you."
"What makes you think I'll roll over and listen to you?" Scolipede glared, his tone visceral and nasty.
"Because if you don't, I won't hesitate to handle you myself," Typhlosion said, her voice muted and matter of fact, something that only pissed the bug off.
"Am I interrupting something?"
The two turned to see the next arrival standing before them; she was a stout, her white and purple fashioned fur Shaolin monks of old. She was carrying a relaxed smile which brimmed with confidence, something carried well into her posture. Her left ear and brow were pierced, and her fur was well-groomed, yet managed to maintain a messy feel. She just came off as…Approachable.
"Because if you two wanna kill each other, I ain't gonna stop you or nothing," she joked, "but I'm sure we'd all rather you calm down and talk it out."
They exchanged a brief look…Then Scolipede scoffed, turning away, "Whatever."
As the bug walked away, Typhlosion heaved a sigh, turning to the girl with a smile, "Thank you, Miss…"
"Mienshao, as far as you gotta know, hon," Mienshao replied, before nudging her in the arm, "and no prob. Guy looks like he needs to chill anyway." The badger chuckled at this, as Mienshao wrapped an arm around her and practically pulled her forward, "Speaking of, let's go do the same, and you can help me get to know everyone."
"Oh…Yes, of course," Typhlosion nodded, getting practically dragged forward.
Mienshao was behind the counter of what looked to be a comic and game store, reading a book in hand before turning her attention toward the camera. "Why, hello to you. I'd say I didn't see you, but let's not play; we all get how this routine goes."
Laughing, she threw her book aside and smiled at the camera, "Listen up, would 'ya; you want a player who is down to play this game for all it's worth? Then I'm your girl. I may not look it on the outside, but I don't let anything stand in my way when I've got a goal in mind."
She cocked a brow, leaning against the counter while saying, "I'm smarter than any fools you got lined up already, I'm stronger than most give me credit for…And well," she ran a hand across her fur with a smirk, "some tell me I'm a bit of looker…Don't you agree?"
Chuckling, she stood straight and said, "So yeah, hit me up. You won't regret it, I promise."
Mienshao (Violet Argyle)
The Socialite
Moments later came to fifteenth arrival; he was a large dragon, both in height and heft, his muscular frame fully expressed in spite of the dark red and gold trimmed letterman jacket he was wearing. A gray bandana was wrapped around his neck, and there was a prominent scar across his left eye. It was strange; in many ways, his vibe felt almost harsh, and yet it also really looked like he was trying to come off as approachable.
The dragon hesitantly stared out at the crowd, and under their unflinching stares, he quickly found himself overwhelmed. He breathed in, his muscles tensed; this was the last thing he needed.
"Welcome to the island, Druddigon," Armarouge greeted, but he didn't hear her; when he started walking, it was almost like he was on auto-pilot, for better or worse, "oh uh…Okay! Bye!"
Druddigon's eyes darted nervously from person to person, desperate to find even one welcoming gaze in the crowd, yet he found nothing in return. It was getting hard to focus…
Druddigon was sitting out on the front porch of his house. He was awkwardly scratching the top of his head, letting out harsh breathes as he slumped into his seat. "Uh…Hey, I'm Dax. And uh…This is my audition for Total Drama Island."
Grazing a stray claw across his face, specifically to his scar, he let out a sigh, mumbling, "I know I look a bit…You know, scary. I get told that a lot, especially back in high school. Even now at the bakery it can be hard to avoid the looks-" he bit his tongue, "o-of the tourists, I mean! You know how Lumiose gets a lot of them, heh. The uh…The locals treat me well, but I don't want to feel confined to this town just so I can be myself."
A brief thought brought a quaint smile to his face, "I want to show people who I really am…On the inside. Without all the baggage. And I hope you give me that chance."
Druddigon (Maddox "Dax" Spiotto)
The Misunderstood
"This was a mistake," Druddigon thought to himself, his clenched fist now shaking as he clenched his eyes shut, "all these strangers, a new home- this is a lot! How the Hell did I think I could just jump into this."
"God, finally, somebody who actually looks worth a damn!"
Druddigon came to a stop as a thud, opening his eyes to see Gliscor staring up at him with a confident smirk, "Hey there, big guy! Looks like we're the main attractions here, huh?"
"...What?" Druddigon muttered.
"You heard me, pal! I mean, look at us," Gliscor continued, before flexing his arms, "me and you are clearly the strongest people here! They totally brought us on help with the show's ratings, both on and off the challenge."
As he watched the man before him flex, Druddigon couldn't help but feel a slight blush rise up, something he quickly shook away when he focused for a second on what this guy was really saying, "Wait, slow down, I don't-"
"You sure you really wanna go claiming how tough you are this early?" Mismagius called out from the sidelines, a smirk on her face, "Sounds like something that could totally bite you in the butt if you're wrong!"
Scoffing, Gliscor shook his head, "Please, I ain't wrong- Hell, I'm never wrong! I can run laps around all of you."
"You sure about that, sugar, cause frankly, I'd sooner put my money on this girl," Mienshao teased, nudging Bisharp beside her.
The iron woman initially didn't react…Though did eventually smirk. "Wise choice." Mienshao winked at her.
Gliscor began to seethe from where he was floating, as he flew over to the girls to seemingly argue. Seizing the opportunity to avoid the drama, Druddigon started backing up- unknowingly knocking into someone else. "What was that?" He thought to himself.
"W-Woah…" Druddigon turned around to see Absol knocked onto her butt, her pupils shrinking at the man's sheer size, "Y-You're…So b-big."
"U-Uh…Y-Yeah, sorry again, I didn't even see you!" Druddigon apologized, not even realizing how loud he just was, practically catching that whole side of the dock's attention. "S-Sorry! I-I…" He quickly leaned down and plucked Absol off the ground by the scruff of her neck, placing her on the dock and whispering, "...Bye."
He quickly made his escape, stepping away, his breathing hard as he felt the eyes watching him. Among them, a certain bird; Honchkrow, who had narrowed his eyes in suspicion, running a wing under his chin in thought.
Arriving in a flash of light came player sixteen, her golden fur reflecting off the sunlight peering down onto her. She was a lioness, her hair spiked back and showing off her confident expression, and more than that, her eyes; one red, the other white. She had on a blue headband and a short purple scarf around her neck, and sports tape was wrapped around each of her paws.
Strutting up to the hosts, she flashed a smile, "Hey, what's up?"
"Luxray! Quite the stunning get-up you got going there," Armarouge complimented, something Ceruledge rolled her eyes at, "glad you could make it."
"Oh, dude, it's great to be here," Luxray said back, a smirk settling, "I'm absolutely ecstatic in fact."
Armarouge smirked herself, "Solid wordplay. I can already tell you're going to bring the thunder to this competition."
Ceruledge's eyes went wide in realization, "God, please no-"
"Hell yeah I will. I've got that winning spark. I'm gonna shock the boat," Luxray continued.
"Hear it here, folks, watt off the press, Luxray is making some electrifying statements-"
"Okay, we get it!" Cranidos called out from afar, bringing an abrupt end to Armarouge and Luxray's little pun-off.
"Thank you," Ceruledge whispered.
"Eh, whatever, I was probably going to run out of them eventually anyway," Luxray strut past the two hosts and toward the others, yet whispered on her way over, "but by and charge...I won."
Armarouge rose a brow at her words as she walked off...Only for her eyes to widen in realization. "...Oh, I get it!" Ceruledge groaned.
"As a kid, I was raised by my folks to follow my dreams to the bitter end," Luxray started, looking over the wall of trophies with her name on them. They were certainly varied; soccer, rugby, wrestling, etc. "And well, I took that to heart, and decided if I was gonna do something, I needed to put a hundred percent into it!"
"And so, that's what this is for me…I challenge you, Total Drama!" Luxray declared, staring straight into the camera, "pick me for the show, I dare you! Cause the second I set foot onto that set, I'm in it to win it! No second place, only victory!"
Laughing, she pushed it back, "But hey, don't take my word for it; let me prove it to you. Trust me, you won't regret it."
Luxray (Rayna Diaz)
The Overachiever
Upon the next player's release, a gust of wind erupted outward, blowing round into a tornado of rose petals from within. As it came to a stop, sliding his feet along the dock with a knowing smirk of condescension on his face, it revealed the figure; he was a large bat dragon, one with a shawl around his neck and shoulders and several ornate silver bangles wrapped around his arms and tail. The fluff around his neck was as clean as can be, in fact as a whole he was well kept, and quite pretty at that. As he had come to a stop, he held the last bits of the rose in his hand high, then dropped it to the ground, turning a smile on the two hosts as they recovered from the…Unique introduction.
"...Uh…Noivern! Hi…We would uh…Usually say something else, but…Wow," Armarouge muttered, still taken aback by the scene she had witnessed.
"Wow is one way to put it…" Ceruledge grumbled, looking over the newfound flowery mess across the dock.
"Yes, yes, I do apologize, ladies, for the little divergence. I just couldn't help myself, you see," Noivern explained casually, taking a moment to look over his nails, before swerving it into a mock wave with an equally smug smile, "I've always had a bit of a flair for the dramatic."
Armarouge's eyes lit up, "Like the musicals they would play in movies?"
Noivern just sort of…Stared at her, as if put off by her question…Only to then shrug, "Yeah, sure, we'll go with that."
"Good morrow, potential producers; I am Sorrel Chapman, here to tell you why I should be on your second season…" Noivern began, seated at a fine dining set in his beautiful, pristinely attended backyard, "...Of Outlaster-"
"Uh…Sir."
Scoffing, Noivern gave a glare off-camera, "This better be good, Reginald."
Noivern took a sip from his tea as the man explained, "This is actually not for Outlaster. It's for the new one…Total Drama."
"Oh…Well who cares enough to tell the difference anyway," Noivern shrugged, "regardless, I'm a natural candidate. I'm a brilliant mind brimming with potential, far more than the average commoner at least. I have great people skills. And oh, would you look at this?" He flapped his wings defiantly. "Oh yes, I can fly. Who knows how much I can get out of that!"
Giggling to himself, he took another sip off his tea, then perked a brow at the camera, "I think I've made myself clear. Pick me, and you'll surely have perfect television, gentlemen."
Noivern (Sorrel Chapman)
The Regal
Armarouge was just about to open her mouth to say more, only for Ceruledge to interject, "You can move on toward the others." She pointed a blade in the direction of the small group of contestants.
"Oh…Yeah, right. A-And do be sure to make lots of friends," the red knight added.
He looked between the two hosts, a thin brow raised upward, though he silently nodded along and turned to the group. Already walking forward, his gaze swapped from each and every contestant in his eyesight-
"Is he short to anyone else?" Noivern's eyes went wide, his fury quickly surfacing as he laid eyes upon a confused Corphish. "I thought Noivern were supposed to be a lot taller. He's off by a good foot."
Breathing in…Noivern forced a smile. "You're…Merely mistaken-"
"No, I'm right," Corphish continued, oblivious to how rude this could come across, "though judging by the look on your face, you might be confused. Let me explain, I-"
A hand wrapped around the crab's mouth, pulling him over and stopping him from digging his grave further, as Mienshao gave Noivern a smile, "Eh, just don't ignore the guy. You're still taller than most of us." She gave a glance to Scolipede nearby, who looked to be distracted with a matchbox. "Ain't that right, big guy?"
"Meh, size hardly matters…On the surface," he snickered, something the fighting-type joined in as Noivern gave the two an unimpressed glare.
"How…Uniquely vulgar," he grumbled, scoffing as he strut past them.
As soon as he was out of sight, Mienshao's expression fell and she let Corphish go, the crab still confused. "...I don't get it, did I say something wrong?" He looked genuinely worried at the thought, as Mienshao just shook her head.
"Baby, no offense, but you really need a lesson on common sense one of these days," she explained, patting him on the back, which only confused him further.
Back with the hosts, "Alright, next up," Armarouge began, grabbing the next ball- as it slipped right out of her hand, "oops!"
The ball hit the dock, rolling across it for a few seconds, before abruptly opening and releasing the next player. She came in the form of short weasel, a purple rag wrapped around her right arm, while on her left was a tattoo of a screaming Cryogonal. She had on prominent eyeshadow, and wrapped around her was a cyan-colored bass, while connected to a belt was a pair of drumsticks covered in all sorts of band logos, a decoration scheme carried over to the headphones wrapped around her neck as well. She was wearing a proud smile, unabashedly owning up to herself.
The other players couldn't help but look her over. She looked tough, something she only reinforced with that grin of hers…Before she slowly turned green, her body shaking as her eyes went wide. She tried to hold it back, but when she got a quick glance of the ocean around her, that seemed to be her breaking point.
Bringing a hand to her mouth, she looked over the dock, and in one swift motion, proceeded to vomit off the dock, the cast cringing in disgust and looking away as fast as they could. And this continued for what felt like hours, even if it had only been a mere few seconds. And in an instant, the cast's perception of this new player being any sort of threat had disappeared.
After she had...Finished, the girl took a couple of steps back from the edge of the dock, wiping her face and groaning out, "Ugh...Sorry guys, I just got a little motion sick!" Laughing nervously, she tapped her claws together, muttering, "That usually happens on boats, but I don't remember getting on one…Wonder what happened."
"Yep, it sure is a mystery," Armarouge whistled, kicking the opened ball beside her off the dock as covertly as she could. "Anyway, thanks for that, Sneasel. That was at least a...Unique introduction."
Sneasel, in all fairness, took the comment in stride, laughing it off with a wave and saying, "Yeah, but like, everyone has their moments. Doesn't change I'm here to freaking win it, you dig?"
While Armarouge smiled at the comment, some of her fellow competitors were less impressed. Salazzle huffed to herself, leaning toward Noivern and whispering, "Yes, we'll see how well the girl who puked on day one does."
Noivern, fond of the personal gossip, whispered back, "I'd be surprised if she lasted the first week." The two joined together in a mutual bout of snickering, enjoying their own pettiness together.
Sneasel was currently sprawled out across a crappy couch, the cushions looking torn apart and scratched to Hell and back. In fact, the small apartment she was in as a whole had a very rundown sort of vibe, with all sorts of stains and garbage thrown about. The weasel in question was currently rocking out to her music on her headphones, banging her drumsticks against the couch to the rhythm, before sending the camera a peace sign.
"Sup, name's Amanda, dude," she started, pulling the headphones down yet continuing to bang to the beat prior, "and I'm like…Well, right now I'm vibing, but I also really wanna be on your show."
Laughing, she stood up slightly, rolling an arm over the back of the couch and saying, "See, I'm part of this band, right; Frost-Frights all the way, wooh!" She threw up a rock sign, and nodded, "And like, we're awesome, but peeps don't really know that yet. So I was thinking…This could be mad exposure, you get me?"
"Pretty sure the money would help us more than the exposure would, bud," a second voice said, a Banette walking past the couch with a bag of groceries.
"Oh…Yeah, the money could be sick too," she nodded, "anyway, I'm like…Not the strongest, or smartest, or anything like that, but man…I get people. So I think I'd do pretty good." Laughing to herself, she pulled her headphones back down and began to bang out to the beat, as the camera slowly turned to the deadpan expression of the Banette.
Sneasel (Amanda Niccals)
The Rocker
"Anyway, later," Sneasel said to the hosts, walking forward- Though froze at the sight of...Certain players.
Luxray, and her strong, athletic body, muscles glittering in the sunlight. Mienshao and her confident smirk with the way she was looking at her made Sneasel's face turn a brighter red than the girl's own fur. Absol, and her soft, friendly expression and that freaking adorable little wave she was sending her. Salazzle's…Everything! Sneasel could feel herself shaking, her breathing coming to a stop as she mentally attempted to compose herself, but girl after girl it felt like a more and more hopeless endeavor, her world practically spinning at full gear.
While...Still being completely still. And out in the open. Everyone was looking at her. She really, really wasn't moving.
"Uh...Is she okay?" Luxray questioned outwardly.
Cranidos rolled his eyes, "God, don't tell me she got cold feet, we don't have all day-"
The boy yelped when Bisharp smacked the back of his head, "Quiet." Cranidos growled at the steel-type, though held himself back from retaliating.
Sneasel was still unmoving, until Zangoose eventually stepped up and snapped her fingers in her face, "Yo, you good, dude?"
Snapping out of her little moment, Sneasel forced a smile with a blush, "S-Sorry about that, dude! I just, like, had a thing going down in my head. You get me? But, like, totally good now." She let out a short laugh, stiffening up again slightly at the looks she was getting.
"Nah man, I totally get it," Zangoose laughed, leaning in and nudging her, "I got like…Hella plastered last night before this, so I ain't all there right now either."
The mongoose laughed at herself, completely shameless of her own midnight escapades, oblivious to Sneasel's growing look, her face deepening a shade as she looked over the girl, "Hehe…Yeah…Right…Right…" She said, unaware of how she was coming across.
Releasing the nineteenth player, she came in the form of a gray and white speckled starling, the tip of her head feather dyed a faint red. A yellow bow was clipped to head, and a sash showing off dozens of buttons, each seeming to present a different musical theatre production. Beyond that, however, she looked totally normal...Well, not counting her oddly...Professional stance. Not as in "all business", but more she knew how to perfectly angle herself for the cameras; strong posing to give off good posture while illuminating physical differences, not acknowledging the existence of the crew yet positioning herself to be the center of attention, just the right distance between herself and Armarouge to give both of them their "space," so to speak. And all with no direction.
"Staraptor! Hi-" Armarouge started-
-And was interrupted, "Well well, I must say, this production looks positively…Riveting! Such a crew, all positively ready and prepared; bravo to you all!" Staraptor cheered, her compliments causing much of the film crew to find themselves smiling. "Oh, especially on this shot; I can see, even from here, you're positively knocking it out of the park on the cinematography part. Great work!"
Out in the center of a massive, crowd theater, the camera took their seat and zoomed in on the stage in front of them. And at the front; Staraptor, wearing a long dress specially made for her unique body, bellowing out her monologue. Our in her world…Her moment.
"Thou knowest the mask of night is on my face; else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek for that which thou hast heard me speak to-night. Fain would I dwell on form — fain, fain deny what I have spoke; but farewell compliment!"
The camera turned to face the person holding it, revealing a Swellow, "See that girl up there? She's gonna be a star. So why don't you do a favor and get in on the action early-"
"Uh, sir, I'm trying to watch a show," an Abomasnow said.
"And I'm trying to film a video, so mind your own fucking-"
Staraptor (Kiara Carrero)
The Thespian
As the cameraman blushed to himself, Armarouge looked around confused, nodding but saying, "Uh…Hi, Staraptor! Glad you like the work they're doing…But uh…We sorta need you to not acknowledge the cameras…Sorry."
"Ah, apologies," Staraptor said with a bow, explaining, "I get caught up in the work sometimes. Now then, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am-"
"She knows already, she's the one who introduced you," Ceruledge grunted, "and what's with the accent. You sound like I attended a Shakespeare in the Park show." Sure enough, she was putting on a sort of voice that could only be described as faintly old English-esque, akin to classical plays or medieval times role players...It sounded kind of annoying.
Staraptor huffed indignantly. "My accent, as you call it, is none of your concern, fool. Now if you'd be so kind, I shall make haste toward meeting my fellow competitors. Good day to you."
She proceeded to flutter off…Oblivious to the glare on Ceruledge's face. "The Hell did she just call me-"
"Anyway!" Armarouge interrupted, quickly releasing the next contestant before Ceruledge committed a murder.
Appearing in a flash of light, the new arrival most resembled a steel bell, its cold exterior navy blue and turquoise in color. He had shifted a lab coat onto his form with much difficulty, and beyond that…Nothing. He wasn't an especially special sight, at least when compared to what came before.
Floating forward, he glared at the other contestants coldly, half of which returned them with equal disdain, not that he'd care. Turning to the hosts with a scowl, he said, "I've arrived," before waving his hand dismissively, "now do your job already."
Armarouge gave the bell a look, "Um…Okay? Welcome to the show, Bronzong, and-"
Impatiently, Bronzong interrupted with, "And I'm here to compete for money, prepare for the experience of a lifetime, light humor, clever banter, yada yada." He smirked, saying, "There, I just summarized the conversation for you. You're welcome."
The hostess flinched back at the bell's words, as Ceruledge rolled her eyes, "Okay, cool, you're so smart, now move on and go-"
"To the others, yes, as expected," he interrupted, floating past them with a bored expression, "I'm what, contestant twenty today roughly based on this crowd? And you still haven't shaken up the format? How dreadfully dull of you."
Ceruledge's eyes twitched, growling under her breath, "If another one of these kids talks back to me, I'm gonna throttle them."
"Can't hear you over me not caring," Bronzong called back. The only thing stopping Ceruledge from attacking him was Armarouge holding her back.
Chuckling to himself, Bronzong continued forward.
Sparks flew as Xavier worked on a device at his workbench, surrounded on all sides by inventions of all shapes and sizes. After a few moments, he floated up, replacing his blowtorch with a wrench as he gave the camera some side eye.
"If you expect me to explain to you why I should be chosen for your putrid garbage known as a 'tv show', then you clearly aren't good enough for me. Luckily for you, I shall give you the benefit of the doubt," he said, as he began to tweak his invention.
"Ever since I was built, I've known I would change the world. By the age of five I could take apart and put back together a phone in twenty minutes. By ten, I made a device capable of explaining one's dreams while sleeping. And by the end of high school, I could recreate the world's top rocket scientist's work…In the span of an hour."
He chuckled lowly. "Some believe I may be the greatest mind that ever lived; they're fools, for there should be no doubt in that statement."
Laughing maniacally, Bronzong turned toward the camera, acknowledging it in full for the first time. "So, Total Drama. Do yourself a favor and reward the best this world has to offer with the funding he rightfully deserves. Who knows, I may even get you some good PR."
He picked the device he was working on off the bench, and with a click of a button, the camera turned off.
Bronzong (Xavier Ennis)
The Prodigy
As soon as Bronzong arrived at the other contestants, he couldn't help but notice their stares. They…Already weren't very fond of him. He had a very repelling energy.
Eventually, however, Absol worked up enough courage to approach, waving a hand, "Uh…Hello! Glad to meet you-"
Turns out, this was a mistake, because the first mon she had willingly chosen to attempt meeting on her own happened to have all the interest of a dying snail, as Bronzong demeaningly tapped her head without bothering to spare her a glance, and pushed her away, almost off the dock, "Yes, yes, hello to you. Now go throw away your time on something else while I speak to someone who actually matters."
Absol cringed back at this, her expression falling as she looked off nervously. Bronzong chuckled lowly- only halting when forced to a stop by Luxray, "Hey, asshole, the Hell was that about?"
"Simply putting an insignificant nobody in their place," Bronzong stated coldly, "and I'll do the same to you."
"Oh, oh, you did not just say that!" Luxray growled, stepping forward before getting quickly held back by Bisharp and Typhlosion. This didn't stop someone else from getting involved too, however.
"What, you think you're too good for us, nerd?" Gliscor spat.
Unimpressed, Bronzong scoffed, "Ah. Nerd, you say?" He hummed and looked the bat over. "Basic vocabulary. Above average though ultimately mediocre build." He poked at the medal, causing Gliscor to pull it away as the bell hummed louder, "Flaunting prior success as if that means anything. All this leads me to one conclusion."
He chuckles, leaning in as well, causing Gliscor to flinch back slightly. "You're basic. And not worth my time."
Gliscor ground his teeth in anger, ready to scream at the bell- only to feel a paw on his shoulder pull him back. It was Samurott, shaking his head. It was weird, but this one look was enough to make the bat begrudgingly stop any planned assault, though his glare still stared daggers into the bell, something Bronzong merely replied to with a smile.
Floating away from his self-perceived victory, he scanned the rest of the crowd; Scolipede is staring him down out the corner of his eye. Mienshao was shaking her head. Honchkrow was watching his every movement precisely, his wing hovering above his cuffs. Gengar looked at him, then quickly looked away in fear. Salazzle just cringed in disgust.
Bronzong smirked, chuckling to himself. Perfect, he made his impression-
…Fuck…
They lock eyes. Staring each other down. It's…Mismagius. The two stare…Then frown. He floats up to her.
In an oddly formal tone, at least compared to how he had interacted with the cast thus far, Bronzong looked the girl over, "…Didn't expect you here."
Mismagius shrugged, trying to force as indifferent an expression as possible, "Not that surprised, this tends to happen with our luck…"
"...How are things?" He asked.
She smirked, "Y'know, pretty good. I finally nabbed those sweet concert tickets, had to spend a night in jail for arson, broke out- the usual."
Bronzong glanced away uncomfortably, "Ah, yes. The…Usual. Right."
…Awkward silence…
"...Well, good luck." Bronzong then quickly floated away,.
Mismagius waved him off, "Ciao!" The second he's out of sight, though, she…Awkwardly phased into the dock and outta sight. While they didn't say as much, they were thinking the same thing; that could have gone better…
The next player was then released; they closely resembled some sort of lampshade, with a glass-like spherical shaped 'head' that had flames inside. What was strange though was the fact they were absolutely covered in all sorts of decorations; a bandelier of different gym badges, a keychain loosely fitted the lamp's rim that held the flags of each region, and more than that, more pins than one could ever guess all decorating the top of their head. They looked like a walking, living tourism trap.
Waving at the ghost, Armarouge greeted them, "Welcome to the show, Lampent!"
Lampent was floating alongside a train track, bindle over their shoulder, as she aimlessly continued down the tracks, no real goal in mind.
"I don't tend to stay in the same place very long," they started, their voice uniquely slow and calculated, yet strangely distant, as if they weren't really communicating so much as thinking out loud, "never really liked it. I've been told I run away from my problems, but that doesn't sound quite right."
"Don't mind hard work. Like meeting people. But ain't it weird that we gotta settle down? It's a big world."
Lampent came to an abrupt stop, turning to the camera with a blink.
"Don't you want to see it all?"
Lampent (Doran Chaplin)
The Drifter
Seeing the sparkling pieces of randomly assorted jewelry atop the lamp's head, Armarouge grinned. "Oooh, nice trinkets! Very hip!"
Beady yellow eyes blinked, as the ghost soaked in the compliment, "Thanks. I got them from my travels abroad. Souvenirs, so to speak, to remember my many, many adventures."
"Ooh, have you visited the Unova region?"
"Yes."
"What about Hoenn?"
"Yep."
"Kanto?"
"We're currently there."
"Okay, well…What about-"
Ceruledge finally interjected, "Enough."
Armarouge deflated slightly. "Oh, right, we're on a time schedule." Turning to the ghost, she was about to say goodbye, only to see the lamp had already floated off toward the other contestants.
"So, you're the competition," Lampent stated while floating toward the three Pokemon. "You're all very different."
"...Is that a good thing?" Gengar asked, earning a nod from the ghost. He sighed in relief.
"Bloody Hell, who turned up the sun?"
Turning toward the next arrival, the cast's eyes fell upon…Some kind of weed, if an ugly one. Or more accurately, a corpse flower. Atop his head he was wearing some kind fedora, black as night and covering the bulbs. He had sunglasses over his eyes, and a nasty looking tear over his lip. In his left hand, he was holding a briefcase. In his right, a bottle of wine, popped open already.
"The damn thing's hot enough," he hissed out, his thick Irish accent carried his poor attitude well, and with a grumble, he took a swig from the wine, mumbling something under his breath as he stumbled forward.
"Oh…Uh…Gloom, we actually don't allow alcohol," Armarouge started, reaching out, "so if you could just-"
"Now hang on a bloody minute, okay? Let me finish the damn thing at least," he grumbled, before taking a swig, and practically downing all that was left of the drink in one gulp. Burping, he tossed the bottle straight into the sea, and spat, "there, fucking happy now?"
"...Uh…Sure."
Little did Armarouge or Gloom know, however, that looking over the crowd at the arrival, his face paling in realization, was Druddigon, whose eyes widened at the sight of the plant in utter horror. Bringing up one of his massive, meaty hands, he shook his head, whispering, "No…No, no, no, no, no…Not him…Not him…"
The room was dark. Pitch black. The only light illuminating the table Gloom was sitting at was a single lightbulb hanging from the roof. To his left, a shot glass, which he was currently filling up. He looked it over, downed it…Then sighed.
…
He started pouring another shot, his eyes slowly drifting up toward the camera, steady and cold, little life behind them. He shook the drink in his hand, and whispered something the camera couldn't pick up, before downing that shot as well.
"...If you want me to say something, you'll probably be disappointed," he said, "I don't feel enough right now to really care too much what you think of me. No need to put on an act."
Gloom blinked, staring at the table, then sighed, rubbing his face with his hand…before shaking his head. "End the fucking video-"
Gloom (Gerald Grayson)
The Apathetic
Gloom walked forward, his right leg limping and the rest of his body wobbling, barely managing to stand up. The way his mouth laid slack jawed, a bit of slobber running down his face, it was…Unnatural. Uncomfortable. Certainly not helped by how hard he was breathing, the gasps for breath only interrupted by him downing that wine.
As he passed through the crowd, a figure snuck up on his right in the form of Corphish, "Question; why're you wearing glasses?" Gloom paid them no mind. "You're a grass-type, so you're supposed to get power from the sun. It's like your superpower- only you know, no laser eyes, though maybe Solar Beam counts."
"I was wondering too," Lampent said too, having miraculously snuck up behind Gloom as well, "they look neat." They reached out to grab them, "Can I see-"
Their attempt was swiftly blocked by Gloom's hand, "Touch me damned glasses and I can promise you ain't getting that hand back." Lampent blinked, then floated back, getting the picture well enough as Gloom turned to Corphish as well, "And you mind your own business as well. I don't owe any answer to you, you hear?"
Corphish lingered a moment, before looking away awkwardly, "Alright…" Gloom promptly walked away, the crab looking on, still curious as he looked over the grass-type's features. "Hmmm…"
Gloom eventually found his way to the back, dropping to the ground and taking a seat, staring off the dock at the sea as if longingly. And little was he aware of how hard Druddigon was staring at him, sweat running down his face like bullets.
With the twenty-third arrival came in the form of a ram, her wool sticking up and covered in sticks and mud. One of her horns looked strangely cracked down the center, and thrown over her head was a cowboy hat, a red handkerchief wrapped around her neck just below. She wore a crooked grin, one of her teeth missing, as she clopped forward with a laugh.
"Howdy," she started, her thick southern accent blending well with her high-pitched though friendly voice, yet also uncannily with her Scottish one; in fact, it almost felt like the accents were battling for supremacy, "excited to be here! Hope I didn't make 'ye wee ones wait up for my sorry behind for too long."
"No worries at all, Dubwool," Armarouge calmed her, "with your introduction actually, I say we're really in the home stretch as far as everyone goes!"
"Don't give me hope," Ceruledge muttered.
"Well hot dog then, let's keep going then!" Dubwool cackled. "I wanna get this dang thing started pronto now, you here! So double time!" With a laugh, she ran forward, straight at the crowd in front of her, calling out, "Sup folks, I'm Dubwool!" She called out obviously, as the two hosts followed her words and grabbed the next ball to release.
"Yeehaw!"
Landing in the mud of the pen, Dubwool charged forward, gripping an Ampharos by his gut with her horns and tossing him aside, before giving the camera a smirk, "Howdy there, partner! Name's Chelly Kent, and I do here believe that I'm perfect for your Total Drama whatever show!"
Another voice sounded off from afar in the form of an Emboar, but he was nothing compared to her; launching off the ground, she pounded him in the chest, knocking the giant over and standing over him with pride, "Sorry 'bout that there interruption; attending the annual mud brawl, of which I'm the three-year reigning champ!"
"Not for long," a wheezy voice called out, a Kabutops launching through the air to slash her- only to get kicked square in the jaw, sending him spiraling into the mud.
"Ha! Nice try, Rudy!" She laughed, as she grinned at the camera, "You see; I don't lose nothing! I'm a bonafide unstoppable force, 'ya hear? And I'mma bring that to the show if you go and let me. Now come on, do it! Do it! You know you wanna!"
The ground began to shake, a dozen or so men rushing toward Dubwool, as she cackled uproariously. "Come and get it, boys! Hahahaha!"
Dubwool (Michelle "Chelly" Kent)
The Redneck
The twenty-fourth release came in the form of…A balloon, or…Maybe a blimp in a way? He was a large purple floating device either way. He had on a large striped gray beanie that was leaning slightly, allowing a bit of his fluffy white hair to peak out. A flannel jacket of some kind was wrapped around the bottom of balloon-like body, likely where a waist would be. He rubbed at his eyes, as if he had just woken up, looking around him in dazed confusion.
"Aw, man…I knew an eternal nap was too good to be true," he whined.
"Hi to you too, Drifblim," Armarouge waved. The ballon just folded his arms in disappointment.
Drifblim was relaxed out on a couch, his large body slightly decompressed and his arms over where a stomach realistically should be. His body was being illuminated by the light of the TV in front of him.
And he was just…Watching…And watching…And watching…
He looked over to the camera for a moment…Then groaned, "Oh yeah, I gotta actually say something…Uh…Look, I don't want a lot out of life; I'm a pretty easygoing guy on that front. I don't have goals, or aspirations, or anything like that…Frankly, if you gave me like, a million dollars right now for doing nothing, that'd be perfect…"
Drifblim glared, then groaned even louder, "But I know that's not a thing, so I guess just wasting one Summer in exchange for a lifetime of chilling is…Better than nothing."
He eventually smiled, "That'll be sick…Too bad I gotta deal with two months of whatever garbage this'll be, but whatever, I've wasted longer periods of time. And besides, maybe I'll get a kick out of it. Or I'll be able to sleep through most of it." He laughed.
He perked a brow at the camera, "So come on, give me a call. Until then though…" He yawned…Then straight up fell asleep on the spot. Just like that. It was almost impressive.
Drifblim (Scout Moynihan)
The Slacker
Upon floating up to the other players, Drifblim looked them over...Then snorted in delight, "Well, bright side in all this, at least it looks like I don't gotta worry about my competition having much in terms of brains."
Many of the players flinched back at the remark, as he snickered and floated past them, "If anybody needs me, I'm gonna take a nap. Cool? Yeah, it's cool."
And like that, he made it to the end of the dock, closed his eyes for just a second…And literally collapsed, his balloon body deflating and hitting the ground like a worn out sack. And just as miraculously, the tenth, one-thousandth of a second after he had closed his eyes, he was already snoring very, very loudly. Loudly enough to where it was echoing across the entire dock, the players cringing with each snore.
"Well, I can already tell he's going to be a delight to deal with all Summer," Gloom hissed, trying his best to cover his ears.
Another snore sounded off as Luxray felt her eyes twitch and began to walk toward the sleeping balloon. "Oh, I'm about ready to shut that obnoxious mouth of his up!"
"Right there with 'ya, partner! Let's get 'em!" Dubwool called out.
Drifblim was lucky Druddigon and Typhlosion were quick to react, pulling the lioness and ram back before they could act irrationally.
And unknown to the players, Drifblim was smiling at the scene, one of his eyes flickering open for no longer than a second to spy on the other's reactions, before snoozing off into his act once more.
Armarouge subsequently released the next player…Or…Well…She thought she did. But upon it opening up, nobody seemingly came out. "...Uh…I think we have a dud."
"Honestly shocked we haven't had more," Ceruledge shrugged.
"Foolish fools…Who are also foolish…You made a mistake capturing me…"
Lightning suddenly exploded off the dock and into the sky, causing Armarouge to scream, jumping into her sister's arms for comfort. "W-What was that?!"
Clouds quickly began to flood in overhead, blanketing the sky and leaving the cast confused and in horror at what was happening, as horrible, maddening laughter flooded the area.
"Now that I am free, I shall punish you wretched monsters with a fate worse than any demise! You shall be doomed to a thousand, endless nights of thunder, so says I, queen of the storm!"
The laughter grew even louder seemingly, as the more weaker minded players began to pull back in fear. But at the front, her patience waning thin, Bisharp stepped up to where the contestant was supposed to be released, looking around…Then realizing what had happened.
"This…This is ridiculous," she grunted, leaning down and picking them up.
"W-Wha- no! Unhand me, you beast! Unhand me or face your doom!"
Bisharp held the being aloft, revealing…A tiny yellow spider, her front arms now folded in anger as she glared daggers at the far larger iron woman. "Let me go! Cease this mockery of the great and mighty-"
"Ooooooooooooooh, yeah…Heh, I forgot," Armarouge interrupted, getting out of her sister's arms, "Joltik here is…Pretty tiny."
"And quite the performer," Staraptor commented, clapping her wings, "good show! Jolly good!"
Joltik looked ready to bark out her threats again…Only to sigh, "...Thank you."
Joltik was currently sitting around a campfire of her own making, a task that had taken her far longer than she would ever willingly admit to anyone. Though her thoughts read it well; curse her tiny hands. Curse them!
"Why should you accept the great and powerful Tempest, you ask?" Joltik started, before scoffing overly loud and dramatic. "Why wouldn't you?! In spite of appearances, I am most powerful! I've slain many a beast in my time, tearing through and across this land in pursuit of the great battlers known to man!"
Laughing, she nodded, "Along the way, I even managed to built a reputation; one proudly displaying my capabilities at looting the meanest of dungeons, at solving the trickiest of puzzles, and of course, besting the greatest prey! Dare I say…I am a legend in the making!"
"So I ask you, Total Drama," Joltik declared, "accept me into your game, and allow my strength to be placed on full display! But be warned…I shall never hold back!" She burst out into a fit of deranged laughter.
Joltik (Tamara Moore)
The Storyteller
Joltik was currently being held captive by a disgruntled Luxray, the spider clenched in her teeth. Every time the spider zapped her, the lioness chuckled to herself, "Heh, that tickles."
"Unhand me!" Joltik screamed again, continuing to zap, her anger growing by the moment.
"Alright, since she was twenty-five, that means this next one is our last player!" Armarouge confirmed to herself.
"...Uh…No," Ceruledge deadpanned.
"What?"
"We have two balls left, look," Ceruledge pointed out, and when Armarouge looked down…
Indeed, there were two left.
"...But…Wait," Armarouge wondered aloud, "we only cast twenty-six people, though."
"That's…Weird," Ceruledge muttered, narrowing her eyes, before turning back to the cast, "hey, did any of you bring a plus one?"
A chorus of varying degrees of "no" sounded off; seemingly nobody had brought anyone with them, just as the invite had stated.
"Well…Let's just release both then," Armarouge said, "if we don't recognize one, then clearly they were a mistake."
Armarouge threw both balls out, which exploded outward, releasing the two…
The first of them resembled a ballerina with green hair, her eyes opening as she quickly stood straight, her arms folded politely in front of her. She was quite pretty in spite of her short height, and had on a pair of earrings that looked very expensive, resembling gold. She had attached a rose to her dress, and was wearing a bow. She looked quite professional in her little get-up.
"Okay, Kirlia. Definitely recognize her," Armarouge said, causing the psychic to look off awkwardly.
"Hello to you," Kirlia greeted, currently sitting in the leather chair of a private study, "I am Cynthia of the DeLucca bloodline. And I am here today to ask one thing of you; allow me to join your pristine event."
"I am more than aware there may be requirements on mine and the other player's parts to be able to join, and due to my…Sheltered homelife, I may not fall into every category," she admitted upfront, as if this was some sort of one-way job interview, "however, I assure you; as a DeLucca, I come from a family of success."
She gestured to the family portrait nearby, showing a Gardevoir and Gallade, along with what looked to be nearly a dozen children just under them.
"Each of my many brothers and sisters have gone on, year after year, to great success," she began to explain, "from being part of a journey to the moon, to having art entered into major museums, to being worldwide successful actors; we are not ones to be ignored. And I promise; I more than live up to my kin."
She held up her hands, "So please, if you could, accept-"
The door to the study creaked open, a voice calling through, "Cynthia? What are you doing in here? You're supposed to be studying your dance moves for the ball."
"Oh…Uh," in an instant, Kirlia's voice fell, becoming rigid and soft, "...Yes, father. Right away."
"Good, now chop chop!" The door slammed shut…And Kirlia sighed, before forcing a welcoming smile.
"If you'd be so kind to pick me, I do believe I'd be the right choice for the game," she stated, "thank you for your time."
Kirlia (Cynthia DeLucca)
The Blue Blood
"So if we know she's good, the other guys clearly the odd one out, right?" Ceruledge asked, as Armarouge looked over the other release.
He was an Eeveelution, the slender pink one to be exact with a jewel atop his head. A cape was wrapped around him, and he held a confident smile, seemingly ready for anything.
"...No…No I recognize him too," Armarouge whispered in confusion, "Espeon."
"Hm," he chuckled, "I knew my audition was unforgettable."
Neatly flipping a coin through the air with the end of his tail, Espeon was currently leaning against an alley, a smile on his face as he looked over the passing people all around him, as if sizing them up for anything he deemed worth his time. And eventually, he found it in the form of the camera in front of him, "Why, hello to you. My name is Coco, and I'm here to...Well, you know."
"Being blunt, I don't really got a lot of reasons to do this," he hummed, grabbing the coin mid-flip with his tail and raising it to his eye, looking over its details and craftsmanship, "show seems like it'd be worth a good laugh, and maybe it'll give me an excuse to try out some new tricks."
After a moment, he chuckled, looking out at the city around him, the people going about their days, "And besides; I already end up people watching enough as is. By this point I should probably have learned enough about them to beat them, right?"
After another moment, he snickered, "Or maybe I'm blowing hot up air up my own ass." He flipped the coin up again, "Either way, I'll find some way to make my own fun." He snapped his paws...And the coin paused in mid-air. In fact, it almost looked like the entire city, once in motion, had come to a staggering halt. He looked around, letting out a whistle as he gave the camera a smile, "Check it out, bet you've never seen Castelia this quiet before, huh?"
Snickering to himself, he gave the camera a pointed look, "Anyway, you've got my number; I planted a subliminal message containing it a bit ago. Don't be afraid to write…Ciao~" He waved his tail out, and with a snap of his paw, the city returned to as it was, the coin landing in tail's grip just as he disappeared into the shadows of the alley, that laugh of his lingering where it once was.
Espeon (Coco Leblanc)
The Mentalist
Espeon grinned at the pair of hosts as the two new arrivals stared forward, awaiting the host's command.
"This…This makes no sense," Armarouge whispered, "where did the extra player come from?"
"I don't know…" Ceruledge muttered, before looking back at the cast, then at the crew…And sighed, "Look, just keep going."
"What?" Armarouge said, "B-But shouldn't we figure this out-"
"I can handle it," Ceruledge stated, "you got a show to run."
"...Are…Are you sure?"
"Listen…This may not be my thing, but you clearly care about this," Ceruledge said, "and I won't let you ruin this for yourself by stressing out over what was probably just a mistake on production's end. I will handle it. So…Keep going."
Armarouge stared at her sister in shock, looking down at her hands in confusion, searching for her grip to continue, just as one of the cast finally spoke up, "So, are we good, then?" Drifblim yawned out, walking up to the dock as he muttered, "Cause I'm starving. When are we gonna eat?"
"...Yes. Yes, we're done! That's everybody!" Armarouge called out, much to the cast's relief. "But! First thing's first before that…We need a group photo for the promos," Armarouge exclaimed excitedly, revealing a camera as she quickly said, "now everyone, line-up on the end of the dock! It's time for a picture!"
After a moment of hesitation, the cast did as she said, quickly lining up into various rows at the end of the dock. They struck a pose, smiling at the camera as Armarouge giddily jumped in place.
Stepping up beside her, Ceruledge said, "Alright…Go on, take the picture."
"It's just…" she whispered, "...I think it's just dawning on me…This is really happening, isn't it?" Ceruledge gave Armarouge a look, the latter lowering the camera a moment to sigh in appreciation. "I-I don't know…In a way, I was kinda…Expecting it all to get pulled out from my feet at this point. That I wasn't really given this opportunity. But…But this means it's real, isn't it."
Ceruledge, her look now sympathetic, looked her sister over…Sighed herself…And smiled, "Yeah…It's real." Awkwardly, she patted her on the back with her bladed arm, muttering, "Alright, we don't got all day…Snap the pic, sis."
Breathing in, Armarouge rose the camera up, and readied it, "Alright…Now everyone, say…Everyone, say, 'Summer vacation'!"
Reluctantly, the cast joined along in the host's phrase, chanting out in unison, "Summer vacation!" They chanted so loud...They didn't even hear the dock break away, as it gave in and collapsed, dropping a majority of the cast into the water.
Though Armarouge jumped a bit at the sight, Ceruledge full-on broke down laughing, pointing at the dropped players as if it was the funniest thing in the world, "Oh man, that was perfect!"
Of course, those spared from the collapse were the handful of players who could fly and could catch themselves in time…Also, apparently, Samurott was spared in addition, having magically managed to stay on the maintained side of the dock. He merely shrugged and grunted out something wordlessly.
As some players resurfaced from the water, they heard Armarouge call out, "So…Uh…Now that that happened; everyone, make sure to dry off and meet me at the bonfire pit in ten." Though she quickly added, "Oh, also, pretty sure some of you can't swim. Help them out, would you Samurott?"
Samurott growled, yet listened, jumping into the water and fishing out some of the most unfortunate players. As he did so though, some players...Simply swam in place, utterly confused as the hosts walked off.
"So..." Kirlia said, "...Does anyone know where this campfire place is?" And just like that, silence fell over the group before they all let out a collective groan.
EPISODE #1, PART #1 NOTE
After a small break to get everything planned out and rolling, the story has officially begun. To quote my pal, Inferno, "this is the beginning of something great and wildly chaotic", something I hope the cast ultimately demonstrated just as well. We've gotten twenty-seven players here competing to win it all, and we've already seen some early signs of potential friendships, rivalries, etc. in the making, and I can't wait to see how they all unfold.
Of note, I would like to give a bit of a shout out to the actual Total Drama series; as the first TPI to release since its official reboot, I wanna say that the auditions being layered with the intros is a genuine game changer in helping these sorts of chapters to flow that little bit better. Helps with adding a bit of extra personality to the mix while keeping the reader's interest a bit better, since let's be honest with ourselves, these can be a bit of a slog to get through at times for better or worse. And since I'm the first to act on the practice, it hasn't been ruined by oversaturation yet, so overall, it was a win.
Speaking of wins, I am very, very satisfied with how my final cast ultimately turned out. You'll definitely recognize a handful of these buggers from my prior writing as Fuzz on here, such as Joltik; basically everyone brought back from Fuzzy Memories I feel had better potential now then in the past, since I've really improved as a writer since then (seriously that story does...not hold up). Others though were submitted through an SYOC process by my friends in the community, and in the end, I don't regret a single choice; I really feel like everyone's personality worked out well with each other. There's a lot of dynamics here I haven't explored before, so I'm excited to be given that chance.
Next time we explore the island some more and learn a bit about our soon-to-be victims, so stay tuned, especially with that last minute reveal of an extra contestant. Oooh, wonder who it'll be...Guess you'll just have to wait and see.
Ciao~
CURRENT STANDINGS
Females: Absol, Bisharp, Dubwool, Joltik (she/they), Kirlia, Lampent (genderfluid), Luxray, Mienshao, Mismagius, Salazzle, Sneasel, Staraptor, Typhlosion, Zangoose.
Males: Bronzong, Corphish, Cranidos, Drifblim (he/they), Druddigon, Espeon, Gengar, Gliscor, Gloom, Honchkrow, Noivern, Samurott, Scolipede.
Armarouge: Hope you enjoyed, and please, be sure to review!
