Total Drama: Battle of the Generations

by StayOuttaMyShed

After rebuilding the Jumbo Jet, Chris is ready for another tour around the world, this time with competitors from all three generations! Can Scott earn his team's trust? Will Shawn and Jasmine dominate the competition? And the Drama Brothers are back together? It's an all out battle for supremacy!

14. California Hurls, They're Unforgettable

"Last time on Battle of the Generations... we gave our passengers a taste of the A-list life by letting them compete in a Bollywood musical number challenge to see who could impress some film making bigwigs. All sorts of juicy things unfolded in between the singing. A new alliance formed between DJ and Leshawna, a relationship blossomed between Cody and Sammy, Amy continued to strike out with every guy she flirted with, and Dawn got some advice from our friendly neighborhood Chef." As always accompanying clips from the episode accompanied each talking point.

"But one dude working overtime was, surprisingly, Dave! He tried to sabotage Dawn during the challenge to help get her voted off, but it backfired and wound up helping Team Radioactive win first class. Oops! But he ran it back and tried out a second plan to mess with Team Old School's vote to get Sammy's new boyfriend out. And it worked! Cody was donezo, courtesy of Dave's plan. Who knew the kid had it in him?"

Back in the cockpit, Chef tugged on Chris' sleeve. "Enough of that crap, you promised they'd get to watch the fallout from the elimination ceremony!"

"That I did. Let's pick up where we left off then. Get ready for another action packed episode of TOTAL... DRAMA... BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS!"

*** Opening Credits ***

Things quite literally started from the moment Chris had paused at the end of the last episode, with Sammy mid-sentence.

"-cking bitch!"

Some gasped, while Anne Maria did a little 'ooooh' between bites of popcorn.

"Is it me or have they been way more lenient with us cussing this season?" Brick whispered to his teammates before noticing her snack. "When the heck did you smuggle popcorn in?"

To both points she just shrugged.

But enough about that. Amy was aghast, jaw dropped and brow furrowed in utter contempt. "Just where do you get off thinking you can talk to me like that?"

"Oh would you just SHUT UP already? You're one to talk when you've spent every waking moment of your life for YEARS trying to make my existence a living hell." Angry tears started to fall down the nice twin's face. Jasmine leaned in to try and calm her down, but she just continued to march forward. "And for what? What have I ever done to make you treat me like this? Why can't I have one thing in life that makes me happy without you trying to screw with it?"

"Puh-lease, it's always me me me, isn't it?" Her sister put on a mockingly high pitched voice. "My name is Sparemey, I need to be the center of attention all the time! My life is soooooo hard, my sister doesn't baby me like our parents do. Why doesn't she just shower me in attention like them?"

"I just want you to treat me like a human being, Amy. We don't have to like each other, but why do you hate me so much? Because mom and dad aren't always focusing on just you 24/7?" By now she was getting dangerously close to her twin. Jasmine and Trent were on standby to get between them if things got ugly. "At the very least you could just leave me alone and we'd stay out of each other's business. But no! You have to always be there to mess things up if anything goes well for me."

By now Lightning was sampling some popcorn from Anne Maria's bucket. Brick and Dawn shot them unapproving glares to cut it out. As soon as they stopped, Sugar swooped in to take the snack for herself.

"Right, you're the only one who ever gets it tough. It's not like I have to put up with any BS too." Amy rolled her eyes. "Do you have any idea how much crap I've had to listen to since last season? All these random losers running up to me to say I'm this horrible nasty bitch that abuses you or whatever. As if I've ever even laid a finger on you! It's every day with it too, them just telling me over and over about how evil they think I am."

"Wow, it's almost like your actions have consequences," Sammy yelled back. "I had to put up with it for years because you're so good at manipulating that no one ever believed me, but you were too stupid to think about what would happen if you treated me like that on national television!"

"International television," Chris corrected, absolutely loving all of this.

"Shut up," the nice twin snapped before facing her sister again. "I had the strength to stand up to you back then because Jasmine made me realize I wasn't crazy for thinking what you were doing to me was wrong. If you didn't want people coming to support me and letting me know that I'm valid, maybe you should have thought about that before bullying me in the first place?"

"There's that stupid word again! Oh, Amy's such a bully because she doesn't fall for her sister's dumb crybaby act. Get over yourself! The way I see it, I did you a favor getting rid of that dumb boyfriend of yours. It'll save you the heartbreak of him spending too much time with you and realizing what a boring moron you are! He would have dumped you eventually."

DJ and Leshawna winced and exchanged a look, almost regretting their votes if this was what it was going to cause.

"At least I can get a boyfriend," Sammy spat, smiling in contempt at her sister's shocked reaction. "Oh yeah, I know about your little flirt flops. Word spreads around the plane pretty fast. And you call me pathetic? Can't say I'm surprised, when you let the world see how nasty you are why would any guy want to risk having to put up with you?"

By now both twins were shaking in rage, but that got Amy to her feet with his fists balled up. Jasmine preemptively stepped in front of her friend for protection. That wouldn't stop Amy from clapping back though. "God you are so annoying! This is what I've been talking about all along, things would just be so much better without you here. What did I do to be cursed with being stuck to you? Why couldn't you have just died in the womb?"

A hush fell over the jumbo jet. Everyone stared at Amy, some in disbelief, others in disgust, and hurt in Sammy's case. Sugar dropped the pop corn bucket in surprise. The hosts exchanged excited looks with each other, practically salivating at the idea of including this in the episode. For a while it was nothing but the deafening silence until finally a piercing SMACK jolted everyone to attention.

"We're supposed to be sisters," Sammy mumbled, hand sore from how much oomph she had put in that slap. Tears covered her face and she had to storm off before she truly lost it. "Why are you like this..."

Jasmine gave Amy a quick hate filled glare before running off to comfort her friend. Not that the mean twin noticed, she was preoccupied rubbing her sore cheek. Leshawna and DJ were the next to leave, though they'd also take the opportunity to look on at the mean twin in disdain on their way out. Finally Team Radioactive would file out, though not without a bit of commentary from each.

"Unbelievable," mumbled Brick.

"Deplorable," added Dawn.

"Crazy bitch," spat Anne Maria.

"Sha-psycho..." Not sure who said that one.

Meanwhile, Trent had decided to hang back. Not just because he was shocked at the whole exchange, but also because he had a vendetta of his own to stew over. He turned his glare from the mean twin to Beardo, who shrunk under his gaze. Watching all of that go down filled the beatboxer with a mix of emotions. Disgust, horror, shame. The fact that he had unknowingly contributed to this blowup was weighing heavy, to the point where he was practically hyperventilating.

"Bro... I'm begging you... I PROMISE I didn't know! Sugar was the one to tell me that Cody said that, I swear that's what happened. I didn't think she had a reason to lie about it! I am so... SO sorry. You gotta believe me!"

For a moment his fellow musician seemed to stare into Beardo's soul, as if trying to read how genuine his explanation truly was. He was certainly playing the distressed part well, but who's to say that wasn't an act like his appeal on the plane to switch Trent's vote could have been? Eventually the guitarist snorted and walked away without any indication of what conclusion he had come to.

With him gone Beardo groaned and buried his face in his hands. Sugar was able to finally pick her jaw up and offer a supportive arm around the big man's shoulder. "Ah don't worry about him none, Beardo, he just-"

Suddenly the dude with the fro swatted her arm away and backed up. "Don't touch me. You think I'm stupid? You think I don't get what happened here?"

The pageant queen quirked an eyebrow. "Er, what are you on about?"

"Y'all used me! You tricked me into telling Trent that just so Cody would leave, huh? If I hadn't, they'd have voted together and Cody might still be here." He stared at the floor in disbelief. "And he wouldn't have listened to y'all, but me? Oh God..."

"Come on now, you ain't thinking straight-"

A loud buzzer sound rang out. "Nah, I'm thinking just fine! I was just a tool to you, huh? You never though we were really friends? Because if we were, you wouldn't have put me in this position! Well consider me out. Next time you need to manipulate someone into doing what you want, I ain't gonna be the one to do it."

He took his leave, though not before giving Amy a pointed glare. "And the only reason I ain't gonna vote for Sugar immediately is because I will gladly help vote yo ass out the next time we lose."

And then he was gone, leaving just Amy, Sugar, and Dave to their devices.

"Huh... well that was a bit dramatic," the germaphobe noted.

"Shut up, Dave," both girls hissed.

*** Confessional: Sammy ***

"You know, it's stupid but every once in a while I start holding on to this little bit of hope that one day Amy will somehow get over whatever this grudge is and finally start treating me like a person. That we'll move past all of this and finally be sisters." She wiped away the last bit of tears and clenched her fist. "But I'm starting to see that the day isn't ever coming. So if that's how she wants it to be, fine. Once I beat her and win the million, I'm cutting her out of my life for good. Maybe without me around she can finally learn how to look in the mirror and figure out how to change."

*** On the Jumbo Jet ***

To say that the vibe on the plane was awkward following Cody's elimination would be an understatement. Silence filled economy class, all the negative emotions there stewing. The only place with a little bit of levity was First Class. Team Radioactive were certainly reeling from all the drama, but it was thankfully drama that didn't concern them. Still, Brick was deep in thought.

"Geez, back when the season started and I saw Scott on our team, I never woulda thought we'd be the CALM ones of the bunch," Anne Maria mused.

"Indeed," Dawn added. "It's clear to me that the issues between Amy and Sammy has gone untreated for far too long. I know it's not really our business, but still..."

The cadet broke out of his trance and loudly cleared his throat. "Then if I may, I have a suggestion. It's something I was kind of mulling over even before the ceremony, but after seeing that I'm more sure of it. And I'll preface this by saying our own victory as a team will always remain the top priority no matter what!"

Lightning raised an eyebrow.

"If the opportunity presents itself, I think we should try to strike up a temporary truce with Team Old School in the next challenge." He paused to let everyone process his suggestion. "Team Explosive has been slipping past elimination for far too long now. Not to mention how I doubt anyone wants to spend any more time on the plane with Amy than necessary. If our two teams can work together, we'll practically guarantee that she's the next one eliminated."

He was expecting them to take a while to make up their minds, but Anne Maria immediately shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

Dawn nodded. "Agreed, I think it's a wonderful plan."

All three looked to their final teammate, his arms crossed and staring back at them in contemplation. "Well... you're SURE we'll still make winning the goal if things can't work out?" Brick nodded enthusiastically. "Sha-fine with me then. If we can make it happen, let's do it!"

The cadet grinned proudly. "Alright! Hopefully Team Old School is just as enthusiastic about it as we are."

"Probably. Especially with them having to deal with all the mess in economy." Anne Maria relaxed, enjoying an intern shoulder massage treatment. "You think those two have tried to kill each other yet?"

Not yet it seems, as the camera switched to show economy in all its silent glory. Some like DJ just kept to themselves not wanting to escalate things any further, while others such as Amy glared forward. A tumbleweed inexplicably rolled past, though only Sugar seemed to notice.

Sammy eyed the empty seat next to Trent and sighed. Jasmine offered a smile in a bid to cheer her up, but between Cody being gone and the fallout with her sister, there was little anyone could do to lift her spirits. Suddenly one of their teammates scooted closer, keeping a wear eye towards the villainous trio.

"Psst, girls," Beardo whispered. "You, uh, mind if I say something?"

The nice twin didn't seem enthused with the idea, he had unknowingly played a part in her boyfriend's elimination after all. But Jasmine was curious. "Sure mate, what's up?"

After making sure the rest of the team wasn't paying attention to them, he gulped and looked down in shame. "I just wanna apologize. When I say I didn't know what they were up to convincing me to change Trent's vote, I really mean it. If I knew they were lying I never would have done it. Y'all can bet I ain't EVER gonna help those girls again."

"Don't beat yourself up too much." The Aussie sighed. "They may not be the brightest shielas but they're clearly good at manipulating people."

"And if you want to make it up to me, just make sure you help us vote my sister off," Sammy finally added. "Then we'll be even. Deal?"

"For sure! You didn't even need to ask." Talk about a load of his shoulders. Though... there was still another matter to clear up. He glanced Trent's way and tensed up. "I got no idea how I convince Trent I didn't want Cody getting eliminated, though. I mighta messed that up for good."

Jasmine sized up the brooding guitarist and shrugged. "Give him time to come around, right now I reckon he's just sore over everything. Maybe you'll find a way to help make it up to him down the line."

"Yeah... yeah! I just gotta think of something to make up for it. That's gotta work... hopefully."

*** Confessional: Beardo ***

He makes a deflating balloon sound, sinking back into the seat. "When I got eliminated first back in the day, I remember getting home and being all bummed about the things I missed out on experiencing. I told myself if I got a second chance, I'd have a nice full Total Drama experience! Guess I got it... be careful what you wish for, right?"

*** On the Jumbo Jet ***

Sometime had passed since the fallout from the previous ceremony. Like in many episodes it was a new day and the contestants were eating in the cafeteria room, but things were a bit different. Normally there'd be three tables filled with one team each, but noticeably the Team Explosive table only had Dave, Sugar, and Amy sitting at it. Jasmine and Sammy were sitting with Team Old School while Beardo sat with Team Radioactive. Chris and Chef strolled in, the former chuckling at the sight.

"Guess there's still some sore feelings after what went down! Interesting seating arrangements, you guys hankering for a team swap that badly?"

Leshawna quirked an eyebrow. "You really gonna do one?"

"Nah, kinda defeats the whole purpose of the season theme if I mix and match you guys together, doesn't it?" Those sitting away from their team groaned in disappointment. "But hey, for all you guys know it could be time to merge!"

Everyone looked on in unimpressed silence, Anne Maria eventually speaking. "But it isn't, right?"

"Right you are! So Team Explosive just has to suck it up." He high fived his co-host for his wicked sweet trolling. "Anyway, let's talk turkey! As you guys can see, I'm very fittingly dressed for today's location."

He was literally just wearing his normal clothes.

"You're literally just wearing your normal clothes," Jasmine pointed out.

"Well of course he is," Chef barked out. "Dude's a celebrity!"

"And we're going somewhere that treats celebrities with all the adoration and obsession that they deserve! Los Angeles, California!" He gave a few moments for a reaction, but no one seemed to really care. "You get it? We're going from Bollywood to Hollywood. Damn I'm clever, they should seriously give me a raise."

Once again he was just meant with disinterest.

"Hmph, well I'm excited for us to go there. Anyway, on with the challenge rundown. First thing's first, I'm gonna need a volunteer from each team. Someone who you guys think has ruthless aggression, the drive to dig deep and hunt like no other!"

Lightning immediately perked up and was about to run forward before remembering the progress he had made. He looked back to his team for approval and they each gave him a thumbs up. Jasmine could see Sugar about to stand up so she quickly joined the jock before the chance could even be presented. "Sounds like a fit for me."

"Cool, that just leaves Team Victory... ah, sorry, slip of the tongue." Chris grinned slyly. "I mean Team Old School! This should be quick, they don't have a whole lot of options."

None of the three were impressed, though it didn't seem like any of them were particularly enthused to volunteer. Not really a fan of this awkward vibe, Leshawna eventually shrugged and raised her hand. "I'm down to do it... whatever this is. You planning on giving us an explanation?"

"Sure, but first think fast!" Chris tossed each of them what looked to be a camera while Chef shoved a fedora on Leshawna and Lightning with a little paper sticking out that said 'press.' Jasmine was trickier since she was already rocking some headgear but he shrugged and shoved the fedora on top of her existing one anyway. "You guys are gonna be playing paparazzi! Your goal? Capture some candid shots of the celebrities you're hunting for."

While this was explained, Chef moved on to fitting everyone else with some sort of mechanical bracelet. On each was a dimly lit screen displaying the faces of everyone without a fedora. Anyone that fiddled with it would find that they could also access a map of LA which had an odd red circle surrounding it.

"And that means the rest of you are playing the celebs," Chris continued. "So here's the rundown. We're gonna give you guys some time to find a hiding spot in the city and lay low from the press. That's when we release our paparazzi into the wild! If one of them successfully captures a picture of one of you, your bracelet will fall off and you'll be eliminated."

To demonstrate this, the cook borrowed Lightning's camera to take a picture of his own bracelet. The screen turned off and it fell from his wrist.

"To make things interesting, there's two bonus rules. First, once someone is eliminated they can return to the Jumbo Jet and become a paparazzi themselves! So the more people get eliminated, the more hunters there will be to take out whoever's left standing. And second, to prevent things from getting too boring with someone finding the perfect hiding spot, every once in a while we'll shrink down or change what part of the city you can safely hide in. That'll be indicated by a red circle on your maps. If you're outside of the circle after a certain amount of time, you'll be eliminated automatically!"

"So it's basically just a more complicated version of hide and seek," Sugar called out happily.

"I... suppose it is, yes. And you guys have probably pieced together the rest. The team to have the last person standing wins first class. Meanwhile the team to get wiped out first is sending someone home." He looked over Team Explosive's numbers, then Team Old School. "Yeeeeeah, for some of you the hiding spots better be good ones!"

DJ and Trent exchanged a look of determination. Awkwardness of the last ceremony aside, they couldn't let themselves lose again. Brick, Dawn, and Anne Maria were similarly amped to bring their A-game, though it was clear some of Team Explosive seemed conflicted.

"Sorry if this gives the editors more work or whatever, but doesn't a challenge like this seem like a really dangerous idea?" Brick asked, glancing at Trent. "Considering, er, recent events?"

"Not to worry, the bracelets have a GPS tracker in them. If anything weird happens, we'll know about it," Chris assured them with a rare serious tone. "Chef will be watching your locations like a hawk here on the plane."

Beardo suddenly perked up with an idea. "I got my deejay outfit packed up somewhere, if Trent wants to use it. A heavy coat, some shades, a hat. It'd disguise him up real fast."

"Uh, he's on the enemy team?" Sugar pointed out. "We ain't helping him!"

The beatboxer was about to protest but Trent cut them off. "I'll be fine, this isn't my first time sneaking past paparazzi. I can make a disguise of my own just fine."

Sugar seemed satisfied despite her teammate's stink eye.

"Glad to hear it! We'll be landing soon, so everyone get ready! Except our paparazzi, you guys can go wait in economy class or something."

At Chris' command the three seekers look their leave, though not without Lightning of all people rubbing his chin in contemplation. While Jasmine continued to march on to economy, he held a hand up and stopped Leshawna in the middle of a hallway.

"Lightning's got something he wants to say, real quick," he whispered, making sure the Aussie hadn't noticed their absence. "You're gonna want to hear this."

Obviously Leshawna was confused but curious. "A'ight brother, what's on your mind?"

"Me and the squad have been talking and we think Team Explosive is about due for another elimination. Enough that we were gonna ask y'all to team up if we could to make sure it happens. And with the way this challenge works, Lightning thinks we could do that right now."

"So you wanna call a truce, just target their people and leave each other's alone until they're out of the challenge?" He nodded in approval, getting a smirk from her. "Oh hoho, say less. I'm in."

*** Confessional: Leshawna ***

"No shade to Trent and DJ, but I'm more than happy to take an agreement like that where I can find it. Our team's small enough as is and I know Jasmine has some crazy tracking skills up her sleeve. Now let's just hope them boys can hold out long enough for us to clear out Team Explosive."

*** Throughout Los Angeles ***

Speaking of which, the perspective switched to show the 10 non-paparazzi being released into the big city. Since the circle was going to at first allow them to hide anywhere they want, a montage followed due to the sheer size of what they had to work with. Trent immediately slipped into the first store he saw that seemed like it wouldn't recognize a pop star, an edgy looking gothic apparel store, and exited with a disguise that looked more Ennui than himself. Amy somehow wandered into Venice Beach and looked around for somewhere to actually hide. Dave walked past a large pit of tar and felt a shiver go down his spine. Anne Maria decided to check out the Hollywood Bowl and see if she could blend into a crowd catching a show, but nothing was playing at the moment. Sammy made it to the Getty museum and tried blending into the crowds of people looking at exhibits.

Things ended on Sugar, out of breath and leaning against a wall after too much running. Her bracelet suddenly lit up and Chris' voice echoed out. "Alright, we're releasing the paparazzi! Hope you celebs are ready!"

"Ah fudge nuggets, this darn city's too dang big to just keep running around! I need something that'll let me stay put... where am I anyway?"

She looked around and found herself in the middle of Hollywood Boulevard, directly outside the Chinese Theater. She could take in all of those celebrity stars lining the street if it weren't for the distracting performers in costumes trying to get some cash from tourists. Various hustlers dressed as superheroes, cartoon characters, mascots and more danced and posed for the cameras... wait a minute. That gave her an idea. After a quick bit of browsing the sea of characters, one caught her eye. A bootleg version of a girl mouse character with a red polka dot dress and bow.

"Oh my gosh it's... my favorite character," she loudly gushed, shuffling up to the mascot. "I just GOTTA get a picture with you!"

The performer held their hand out for payment. Sugar felt around her pockets and feigned surprise. "Uh oh! I must have dropped my wallet in that alley over there. Come and help me find it, would ya? I'll give ya a big tip if you do."

Well it's not like they were gonna say no to extra money. The dubious little creature followed Sugar into a nearby sketchy alley, soon out of sight from the camera. Suddenly loud banging noises and a scream of pain echoed out. A trash can was thrown, a cat screeched, and punches landed. Once all was silent, the southern girl emerged from the alley in the mascot suit, chuckling in satisfaction. "Heh, sucker."

She slipped the mascot head on and returned to the crowd of performers, none of them any the wiser that their colleague was knocked out nearby.

Elsewhere, by pure chance both DJ and Beardo had ran into each other in the downtown art district and were briefly keeping each other company while thinking over new hiding spots.

"I'm telling ya man, I can already tell this ain't gonna be my kinda challenge," an out of breath beatboxer lamented. "Way too much ground to cover, and I don't exactly blend into a crowd well. All they gotta do is pick my fro out from a distance and that's a wrap. I thought I'd have the hang of this place, there's this video game that takes place in a parody of LA that I play a lot, but man is it easier said than done in person."

"I feel ya, place is massive," the brickhouse agreed. "Hard to tell when we should be on the move and when we should-"

Suddenly two hands emerged from the darkness of an alleyway and dragged DJ inside. Beardo kept walking for a moment before the uncanny silence gave him pause.

"DJ?" He looked around and found no one there. "Bruh? The heck did he go?"

As his eyes darted around, he froze in place at something down the road. Lightning was running from building to building, poking his head into each and yelling out for any potential targets. All it took was one glance down his way for the jock to notice the distinctive afro and massive frame of the beatboxer. Thinking fast, Beardo noticed a nearby double decker tour bus preparing to depart and scrambled inside before a picture could be taken. He crawled his way to the upper level to peek over the side.

"At least bro can't outspeed a vehicle, right?"

He looked over to find Lightning very quickly catching up to the vehicle. He instinctively tried to snap a pic as Beardo took a peek, forcing him to flop back into the bus.

"Crap crap crap!" Only one thing Beardo could fall back on to try and save this. Getting as close to the edge as possible without exposing himself for a picture, he threw his voice to loudly simulate the sound of a fast approaching car honking followed by the screech of tires. The ploy worked and Lightning jumped out of the way in a panic. When he got back up, Beardo then switched the sound of an ambulance behind him to similar results. "I don't know how many of these I got in me..."

Meanwhile in a nearby alleyway, DJ mumbled in confusion at the dainty hand around his mouth but was relaxed by a shush from his captor.

"It's ok, it's just me," Dawn whispered, finally releasing him. "Apologies for approaching you in such an unorthodox way, I needed to separate you from Beardo."

"Why? He seems like an alright dude to me."

"Oh I agree, there's quite the sweet soul buried under all of his crippling insecurities." She started leading him deeper into the alley, keeping their voices low. "But unfortunately he finds himself on Team Explosive."

Her companion was clearly confused. "Perhaps I should explain. My team came to an agreement that we'd like to call a temporary truce with your team so we can ensure Team Explosive are the next one's to leave. Especially with what happened at Cody's ceremony, it's clear they're the centerpiece of strife on the plane. And since the nature of this challenge makes teaming up possible..."

"I think I get it. So y'all aren't gonna target me and Trent, just the other team?" She nodded in confirmation. "I guess that sounds good... so what'd you need to drag me into an alley for?"

To that she sighed. "Well as driven as Lightning and Leshawna may be, Jasmine is likely to especially excel in her role this challenge. Hiding from her will be no small feat. I'm quite confident in my own skills to evade her, but when all she needs to do is find you and Trent to spare her team from losing..."

DJ gulped. "Right. The truce won't even matter, Team Explosive just survives again. So you wanna help keep me hidden at the same time?"

"It's mutually beneficial, two hands are better than one as they say. Your strength may prove useful in accessing things I would otherwise struggle with. Basically, we help each other stay safe from the enemy team until the others have managed to knock them out. Thankfully none of them have to FIND Jasmine, just her teammates."

"But what happens once it just gets down to the two of us?"

"I suppose we just cross that bridge once we come to it." She offered her hand so they could continue down the dark windy path. "Do we have a deal?"

He hesitated for a moment, wondering if this was truly the best means to survive. But the thought of having to outsmart Jasmine on his own when his team was so small as is kept ringing in the back of his head, so he accepted the gesture. "Sure, let's do this."

*** Confessional: DJ ***

"It's a risk, I know. If Jasmine or one of her teammates find us, we're both knocked out in one swoop and the whole plan is useless. But I trust Dawn, we've seen her skills in action and I know they're legit. This is probably the best bet I have to get us out of economy and back to First Class." He shrugged. "There's definitely worse people I could spend the challenge with."

*** In the streets of LA ***

Back on the tour bus, a noticeably winded Beardo had just finished imitating the roar of a stampeding elephant. What would a creature like that be doing wandering the roads of a major city? He hadn't the faintest clue, but as long as it tricked Lightning he wouldn't question it. Speaking of which, at some point the dude with the fro had gotten so tired from his repeated sound effect distractions that he had to sit down and just keep doing them. He hadn't actually checked if the jock was still tailing him or not.

Carefully he peeked over, finding nothing behind the bus but various tourists. "Huh. Guess I finally lost him!"

He turned around to see Lightning suddenly climbing up the the side of the bus and action rolling towards him. All he could do was yelp in surprise before the camera was whipped out and his shocked expression was captured. "Sha-snap! As if you could give Lightning the slip! We ain't anywhere near no zoo, you gotta do better than elephant noises!"

Beardo groaned and sunk back into his seat. The bracelet fell off and he hung his head in shame. "Guess I get to be the first one out again for once. Hopefully Jasmine's doing fine to make up for it."

Good point, how WAS the Aussie doing? Perspective changed to show a terrified Brick running through the backlot of some movie studio, Jasmine's tall figure visible in the background. No matter how fast he ran, how many erratic turns he took, or even how many props and crew members he zipped his way around, she continued to keep pace with him, an unstoppable force growing ever closer.

"You could save us both time by just tossing in the towel, mate," she called out, vaulting over a car and ducking under a clothes rack. "I could do this all day, may as well make this easier on yourself."

"Appreciate the offer, but I think I'll have to pass." Thinking fast, he spotted a nearby studio building and crashed his way inside. Some sort of sitcom was filming, so Brick slipped into the audience while slowly making his way to the other side. The occasional forced laughter from the crowd did a good enough job masking the sound of his movements, and the darkness kept him shrouded since all lights were on the set.

"Solomon, is that REALLY what you're going to wear to dinner?" a schlubby looking scrawny actor asked.

"Zimbabwe," his nerdier co-star quipped, making the audience erupt in laughter.

"Look, you better be on your best behavior. I want to impress this girl and I don't need you scaring her off!" Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Or rather a knock sound effect. "Oh great, she's early!"

The first actor went to the nearby door, only for it to open prematurely with a scrawny blonde actress falling through it. Jasmine stepped into frame behind her, wincing at her tumble. "Whoops, sorry mate. I'm in a bit of a hurry, so-"

All of a sudden the audience applauded as if she was a guest star they all recognized. She froze in confusion and while the actors clearly didn't expect this, they just kept rolling as if this was part of the show.

"Oh wow, THIS is her?" the geekier character asked, looking her up and down. "Don't you think she's a bit too much for you? You know what they say about girls with big feet."

Jasmine scoffed in offense and retaliated with a stomp to the guy's foot, followed by shoving him out of the way. "Piss off."

She tried scanning the crowd but their raucous laughter was distracting. The first actor was trying to salvage this mess by pretending this was all part of the script, even straddling up to Jasmine. He'd get an elbow to the ribs for his troubles. It was then she noticed a small bit of light pour in from across the room and spotted a certain cadet trying to sneak out of an exit. "There you are!"

Brick yelped and booked it, Jasmine pushing past some cameramen to tail after him. While that chase continued to go down, Leshawna had taken up biking down Venice beach. She had a sneaking suspicion that she could potentially find SOMEONE here, but if that would be one of her targets or not remained to be seen. It seemed to be a particularly busy day, so bobbing and weaving through the crowds were enough work as is. She noticed a scruffy dark skinned man that appeared to be people watching on a bench nearby. Maybe asking for some help wouldn't be out of the question.

"Hey, this is probably a long shot but I gotta question for you, I'm looking for some people." He raised an eyebrow at her. "You seen a blonde in a cheerleading outfit, scrawny Indian kid with a sweater vest, or big haired country girl come through here recently?"

Though his expression didn't change from its glazed over look of disinterest, he did turn his head and point casually down the path. "That one of the people you're looking for?"

She followed his gaze to a workout area on the beach, various exercise machines and equipment strewn about. Multiple meatheads and athletes were getting their fitness on, but more importantly was a certain cheerleader leaning against the railing and admiring all the buff dudes showing off their bods.

"It can not seriously be that easy..." Leshawna pedaled towards her prey, camera at the ready. Amy finally broke her distracted gaze long enough to notice the paparazzi approaching and ran off. But with her pursuer on wheels, she was losing ground fast. In her panic to think of something to give Leshawna the slip, she failed to notice as she stumbled into the Venice Beach skatepark. Impressive since there were dozens upon dozens of skateboarders around doing their thing.

With a small eep, Amy tumbled down one of the half pipes. By the time she was up, Leshawna was already looking down at her and flashing the camera. "Yup, it's that easy."

Amy's bracelet fell and she groaned in annoyance. "Whatever! I'd rather do the stupid paparazzi part of the challenge anyway."

"Girl be serious, we all know you ain't finding squat. If your team finds anyone, it's probably gonna be because of Jasmine." An unimpressed Leshawna biked away, leaving the mean twin to fend for herself getting out of the skate pit.

"Hmph, I'll show her. If Jasmine's so great why hasn't she eliminated anyone yet?"

On that note, back to the outback girl! She was able to track Brick's movements, eventually leading her to a bizarre site. What looked to be the remnants of a neighborhood in the aftermath of a warzone. Houses caved in, crushed cars, debris strewed everywhere, even a destroyed plane was broken into pieces. Thankfully it was just a detailed set, not actually the worst timeline, but still. As she looked through various nooks and crannies, a trolley full of tourists slowly drove behind her, a few even snapping pictures of Jasmine as if she was part of the scenery.

"Wait a minute..." Jasmine approached the tram, peering over the group of tourists as she scanned row by row. Up near the front of the vehicle, a figure suddenly stood up and tossed off their hat, revealing a buzzed head. Brick made a run for it while Jasmine was distracted, but once again she quickly noticed him and followed.

After winding down one path he eventually came across a fake motel, and a man stuffing a body into the trunk of their car. Brick bumped into him but kept running, only offering a quick, "Sorry!"

Jasmine was not as polite, since soon after she just barreled over the guy. Just as she had finally caught up to her target, he decided to throw caution to the wind and dive into a nearby lake. Or at least it looked like one. Just as she was about to dive in after him, a mechanical shark rose from the water with a screaming Brick flailing in it's mouth.

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me..."

In more peaceful news, DJ and Dawn were hiding out in a museum, taking in the art and enjoying some tranquility before the map forced them to move.

"Well it's good that she agreed to an alliance."

"Yeah, I mean obviously I hate how things went down. But I'm still here, so I guess it all worked out." DJ sighed. "Don't know if it's a guarantee she keeps me if we lose again, though. She's safe either way so she can just pick her poison."

"She made a deal with you, and Leshawna prides herself on staying true to those she's given a promise. I'm sure she'll stay loyal." She glanced at her bracelet with a smile. "Plus thus far things are going well. Only Beardo and Amy have been eliminated."

On cue, Brick's face suddenly blipped off the screen. DJ chuckled. "Spoke too soon."

Back in the studio tour, a washed up Brick was dragged from a pool of water by his pursuer. He had somehow slipped out of the whole shark ordeal and continued the chase, but eventually stumbled into an area that simulated a flash flood. Not a whole lot he could do against a giant wave sending him tumbling down the road.

"Sorry mate, least you gave me a heck of a chase," Jasmine offered apologetically. "If I had saved you for last I might not have had the stamina to keep up!"

He had to cough up a glob of water before he could talk. "Thanks. What's with this city, though? Feels like it was throwing everything but the kitchen sink at me! I thought that fuel truck was going to flatten me back there!"

"Give it a bit more running and I think you were gonna run into the dinosaurs." With him properly eliminated and not drowning, Jasmine left him to recoup. "Welp, I'm off to eliminate the rest of your mates. Don't go getting yourself killed out there!"

*** Confessional: Brick ***

"Alright, first one out from my team doesn't make this my greatest moment. But I'd like to think I gave Jasmine a real run for her money! I bet if I had-" Suddenly he interrupted himself with a heave, throwing up a mouthful of water. At the end of the vomit was a little goldfish, swimming around in the toilet peacefully. "Is it bad that I can't tell if that's from the shark lake or the flash flood?"

*** Outside the Jumbo Jet ***

Those that had been eliminated eventually made the pilgrimage over to LAX. Chris was sat outside the plane's entrance, lounging in a beach chair and enjoying a smoothie. "One capture each for our paparazzi, very nice! Hope you dudes suck less at seeking than you do hiding. This ain't a good look for elimination, ya know."

"Man just give us the dang stuff," Beardo grumbled.

Shrugging, the host tossed each of them a camera and one of the press hats. Though one of them just got wedged into the beatboxer's afro. "Eh, good enough."

While he and Brick were eager to get right back into the fray, Amy lingered around to pout. "Don't we at least get like a break or something?"

"You're welcome to use the bathroom first if ya want, but after that you need to get your butt back out there. Now if you'll excuse me, I have very important host responsibilities to get back to." And by that he of course meant relaxing in his chair and doing nothing.

Still, Amy wasn't exactly raring to go, so she'd take up the offer. The jumbo jet was deathly quiet while all the interns and camera crews were busy keeping up with everyone in the city. It was such a ghost town that even the faintest sound from somewhere in the plane would be easy to pick up on. Soon enough she was startled by the distant sound of Chef's voice.

"Is she going TOWARDS Lightning? Gutsy move, kid."

A curious Amy tip toed her way towards the voice, leading her to the cockpit. Inside she'd find Chef sitting in front of a few monitors. One displayed a map of the town with faces to represent each of the contestants scattered throughout. Others were live feeds from the cameras. She could see her sister's head on a pier, Dave's on a college campus, and even DJ and Dawn's oddly close to each other. Chef was thankfully too engrossed watching the movement to notice her presence. The important takeaway was this means of seeing where everyone was. She knew all too well that she'd be facing some heat if they lost today, the best bet to make things as easy as possible for her was to make sure their team didn't lose. And if she could use this to see where everyone was...

Speaking of scheming, Dave had tucked himself into a quiet nook inside the library on UCLA's campus. Way he saw it, it was pretty unlikely for anyone to come looking for competitors in one random building within a pretty massive college. To pass the time he had been mulling over scenarios for the game, running down some out loud in a hushed tone.

"Maybe Sugar can convince Beardo to get over it and vote with us again. Maybe if we target Jasmine this time instead of Samey? Then we can just vote her out next time regardless of what he does..."

His bracelet suddenly beeped and the red circle on the map had shrunk, now only circling a portion of the city near the Hollywood sign. And just his luck, he wasn't within the safe zone anymore. "Crap..."

As far as he could tell everything seemed to be quiet. He peeked around different bookshelves, peered outside the windows, even glanced up at the ceiling for anyone hiding in the rafters. There were plenty of people, but all seemed to be students. No one he knew. "Alright, no big deal, we'll just stay off the major roads and sneak out way somewhere clean and quiet in the safe zone. I wonder if I can get a free taxi ride if I throw around my celebrity status?"

While pondering these deep philosophical thoughts, he failed to notice someone barreling towards him the moment he exited the library. It was only after the blinding flash and the ear piercing call of "SHA-SNAP!" that he realized his mistake.

"Lightning's two for two! Dang, I make this look EASY."

Dave stared up incredulously at the celebrating jock. He had literally just looked out the window minutes ago and saw no sign of him. Did he seriously run into the area in the short time it took him to go down the stairs?

"Where did you even come from, you can't tell me you seriously just HAPPENED to be the same place I was hiding!"

Doubting his abilities? Lightning shook his head in disappointment. "Fool, you best believe Lightning wasn't passing up a free campus tour while we're here to check out their field and courts! Shoot, I'm gonna be hitting USC up next to see what they got cooking. Running in to one of y'all is just the cherry on top!"

Clearly he had a full schedule planned, so Lightning was off, leaving Dave flabbergasted and frustrated.

Elsewhere, two contestants had already maneuvered their way to the Hollywood sign itself to remain in the safe zone. DJ and Dawn both let their legs dangle as they sat on one of the O's, gazing out at the city below.

"Like I get it, I know WHY people keep giving me so much flak for being a momma's boy. But can you blame me? After pops bounced, it was just her taking care of me and my brothers. She worked hard, taught us how to be decent, always provided for us. Why wouldn't I want to show her appreciation for everything?"

Dawn nodded along to his stories, expression remaining neutral. "I don't think anyone doubts the immense love you have for your mother. It's a truly beautiful thing. Still, I do wonder if you've perhaps let yourself grow too dependent on her and her wishes. You are your own person, after all."

He quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well you mentioned that if you win the first thing you want to do is help her return to see Jamaica, correct?" She waited for him to nod. "But a million dollars is obviously more than enough for that. What's your intentions after you've finished?"

"I... haven't thought too much about it I guess." The brickhouse looked on contemplatively. "Guess I figured I'd save it or something?"

"In other words, you've made no plans truly for yourself, just for helping her. That's precisely my point, don't you have anything you wish to do for yourself?"

Damn girl, he didn't come up her to get all introspective! DJ hummed in thought, struggling to come up with an answer. "I guess I haven't really thought about it. Buckling down to try and win has been a big step for me in the first place, maybe I figured I'd get more ideas of what to do with it once I get there. What about you?"

"Oh there's countless causes I wish I could provide monetary support for. Countries struggling with lack of food or medical supplies, forests being bulldozed, pollution on the rise. Honestly a million dollars would just make a small dent in helping mother earth try to heal." She sighed sadly. "I'm unsure if it ever WILL fully get better, but I can certainly try what I can to make the world a better place."

"Huh." He looked back over the city feeling conflicted. "Must be nice to have some set in stone goals like that."

"No one said life is easy, I'm sure something will come to you once the time is right. I didn't mean to put down the idea of helping your mother, I just wanted you to know that you should also be open to helping yourself as well." Suddenly their watches beeped and she glanced down to see the circle shrinking. It was also just now when she saw the most recent elimination. "Dave is out, only two left!"

DJ chuckled. "You sure we should be hanging out here to begin with? Seems kinda like the first place someone should look."

Dawn shrugged. "Sometimes hiding in plain sight is better than trying to find something more obscure. We can move out if you'd prefer."

The brickhouse took another look out over the city, relaxed in his O seat. Between the view and the talk, he was a bit too comfy for leaving just yet. "I guess we can stay a bit longer."

Aw how sweet. Must be nice to get to relax during the challenge. Couldn't be Trent, who found himself sneaking from street to street, breathing heavily. The goth getup wasn't agreeing with the blistering California heat, especially the makeup. In his panic to try and ensure it wouldn't run so badly that he'd be easily identifiable, he failed to notice any of the pedestrians in front of him. He bumped into someone large, falling on his ass.

"Crap, my bad man, didn't see where I-" He froze in place. Big dude in question was none other than Beardo. The two locked eyes and spite slowly filled the guitarist up once again. "Great. Of course it's you."

"Trent?" The beatboxer resisted the urge to snicker. "What's with the getup, you trying out for an emo band now?"

There was a distinct lack of amusement from his fellow competitor. "Just go ahead and flash the stupid camera."

Beardo paused. He looked from Trent to the camera, then around at the crowd to confirm there was none of his teammates nearby. Nothing he could see at least. Just a whole lot of people and one twerking mouse mascot posing for pictures. Huh, weird. Still, once he knew the coast was clear he made a buzzer sound.

"Nah. Even if I was tricked or not, I did you dirty. I'll make it right how I can, so the least I can do is let you go."

Genuinely taken aback, Trent still wasn't fully convinced. He looked around skeptically, half expecting Jasmine to drop in outta nowhere while he was distracted. "Really now? Even though it's a dumb idea for your team?"

The bigger lad confirmed with a register ding. "If we lose I just vote for Amy. And if they wanna vote for me instead, I guess it be like that sometimes."

Trying to stare the guy down for a sign of lying wasn't yielding any results. As far as Trent could tell, dude was serious about this. Without a word, Trent slid back into the darkness of an alley and kept running.

*** Confessional: Trent ***

"Am I being too hard on Beardo? Maybe. But can you blame me? Sure, he probably DID get finessed by Amy and Sugar, but he didn't even suspect that something fishy might be going on? He could have asked Cody himself to make sure!" He paused, looking down in realization. "Then again, I guess I could have too..."

*** Throughout Los Angeles ***

A short montage played that switched between Lightning and Brick's perspective. Both boys were tailing Sammy, occasionally finding signs of her only to come up short each time. The cadet would wander through Bel Air, passing by lavish buildings, fancy cars, and even some guys chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' out cool, shooting some b-ball outside of a school. But when he ran after a cheerleader watching the basketball game that he was certain could be the target, it was just an unrelated blonde. Lightning found himself outside the Staples Center, staring in disgust at the arena's new name (look it up) before spotting a cheer squad hyping up the pedestrians. Their uniforms were strikingly similar to Amy and Sammy's, but when he approached they were all brunette, had black hair, or literally any color besides blonde.

Brick tried to ignore the mouse mascot doing the griddy outside of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, just assuming it was part of the advertising. What was really important was the clearly Sammy shaped figure in red stood atop the main entrance. Unfortunately once he finally finished climbing the oddly shaped building, he found nothing but a mannequin dressed in the uniform. Last was the jock diving into a pond fountain at the Getty Center. He saw her for sure this time, hid in a maze-like garden within the pond! But once he finally managed to traverse the maze, all he got for his efforts was a potato sack wearing a blonde wig. And now he had to find his way back out again...

Nearby, a head poked up from a manhole to confirm Lightning had fallen for the trap before descending back into the sewers. Sammy smirked at the camera and jogged her way through the grime and filth to put some distance between her and the hunter. "You hang around Jasmine and Shawn long enough, you start to learn a thing or two about stealth."

Back at the walk of fame, Beardo had returned to the prowl. He was almost certain he spotted Anne Maria's distinctive poof bobbing and weaving out of the crowds. Unfortunately the horde of people was massive and he wasn't exactly the most nimble guy to maneuver through them. He briefly paused to scrunch up his face in disgust at the Chris McLean star, just by chance getting a glimpse of the Jersey Girl ducking behind a corner in time. "Gotcha!"

He got his camera and dove around the corner just in time to snap a picture of... a lamppost.

"Huh?"

Looking around in confusion, he'd find not a person but just a lone can of hairspray left on the ground. Did she drop it in her rush to escape? As he slowly approached, he wasn't aware that behind him Anne Maria herself stepped out from behind some garbage cans. She bided her time until eventually he was bending over and could easily be tackled. Which is what she did! He hit the floor with a grunt and before he could even know what was happening she punted the camera as far as she could manage.

"Wh-what?"

She planted a foot on his gut triumphantly, smirking at his flustered expression. "Tough break, big guy, but you were too slow. You're gonna have to hustle harder than that to catch me!"

Before she left she'd make sure to retrieve her hairspray bottle... only to find it missing.

"Looking for this?"

Hearing the clearly Australian voice, her shoulders slumped in defeat. "Of course..."

Jasmine flashed her with one hand and tossed the hairspray bottle back with the other. "Happened to be in the neighborhood. Can't drop your guard for a minute when I'm on the prowl, mate. Nice job keeping her distracted, Beardo... Beardo?"

Both girls looked down at him stammering, struggling to get a word out. Much of his face has turned red and the best he could do for a response was the sound of a rapid heart rate monitor.

"Uh... you alright, mate?"

*** Confessional: Beardo ***

"A'ight so hear me out... you ever read people online say something a bunch and kinda wonder why they're being so weird? Like, hypothetically, saying that they wanna be stepped on." He cleared his throat loudly, unable to look the camera head on. There was an awkward silence he tried to fill with the noise of a timer ticking down. "Maybe... those guys are on to something? Hypothetically, I mean. I'm just saying!"

*** On a Battleship ***

While others were busy having awakenings and learning new things about themselves, the show had to go on for everyone else. Eager for three first class stays in a row, Anne Maria wasted no time hustling back to LAX for her paparazzi gear. The safe zone changing and some running eventually brought her to a massive battleship that had been repurposed to double as a museum. Even if no one was hiding there, seemed like a solid vantage point to look over the city.

Eventually she had to stop and catch her breath, giving someone else a chance to catch up to her on their bike. "I don't know about you, but between Montreal and this I'm about done with them making us run around a whole ass mega city."

Leshawna came to a stop next to Anne Maria, who smirked. "No kidding. So since you're taking the time to chat, I'm guessing you know about the truce deal, yeah?"

"Lightning gave me the rundown," she confirmed. "So I've only been targeting Team Explosive. Even got to eliminate Amy myself! How bout you, any luck?"

She shrugged. "I only just got eliminated a bit ago. I think we still got Sugar and Sammy left. Dawn, Trent, and DJ are still out there at least."

"Y'all are down to one left?" Leshawna's eyes went wide. "Don't that worry you?"

Suddenly the perspective changed to check in on Dawn and DJ to see how they were doing. The duo was laying low in a Korean style pavilion, with a giant bell housed in the center. They remained vigilant for any sign of the others, but currently were secluded enough to continue talking.

"So then he reveals that he just made me think the fish broke my curse. And wouldn't you know it, all of a sudden a bunch of animals line up to get in my path when I go again." Despite how long ago it was, the memories still stung the brickhouse. "So what do you think, was I ACTUALLY cursed or what?"

If anyone was going to take him seriously, it'd be someone as spiritual as Dawn, right? She mulled over his story, humming in thought. "Ordinarily I'd say it was possible. Karma would certainly have a bone to pick with someone disrespecting a dog's resisting site. But I think the important thing to keep in mind is that you were paying your respects to the dog before it crumbled."

"Meaning it was all in my head?" He hmphed in confusion. "Or maybe I was just that unlucky."

"Perhaps, though it's also entirely possible to convince yourself so strongly that something is true that you force it to become fact. It appears to me that you truly did believe yourself to be cursed, and that likely led to you putting yourself in more precarious situations than normal." Then another point came to mind. "Plus, I'm sure Chris was well aware of your belief. I wouldn't put it past him to purposely agitate the poor creatures that would be crossing your path for the challenge."

"Huh..." A smile spread across the large boy's face. "I never thought about it like that."

And then we were back with the girls at the USS Iowa, Anne Maria shrugging. "She'll be fine, sneaking is kinda her thing. Let's just focus on knocking out those Explosive chicks."

"True that. We just gotta figure out where they-" Leshawna stopped herself when she noticed something odd up on the battleship. "Is that the same mascot AGAIN?"

The girls watched as the person in a feminine mouse suit did a little jig for a crowd of adoring tourists. For a price, of course. They'd have to pay up if they wanted a picture.

"What, ain't those hustlers in costumes pretty common in a city like this?" the Jersey girl asked.

"Sure I guess, but I swear I've been seeing that exact same character popping up all over the city." Leshawna started listing them off on her fingers. "The Walk of Fame, near the tar pits, outside the baseball stadium, now here? How does a mouse make sense for a battleship anyway?"

A long silence fell over the duo, both starting to put the pieces together. Popping up in places the character shouldn't be, the exact same mascot all over the city, and was that a square dancing style diddy that it was doing? A lightbulb went off and the girls smirked at each other.

Blissfully unaware of any imminent danger, Sugar kept on dancing for the crowd. "Alright, who's next! Throw in an extra 20 bucks and I'll let ya record a video message!"

"Ooooh, can I go next?"

Expecting a paying customer, Sugar gleefully turned to greet... Leshawna giving her a cocky grin. "S'up?"

You couldn't tell due to the mascot head, but Sugar blinked a few times in confusion. Maybe she could just outrun her? It's not like taking a picture of the mouse costume would work, right? She make a break for it but was barely able to get a few steps away before getting assaulted with a noxious hairspray cloud. The suit was already hot and stuffy enough as is, adding those fumes to the mix just made it even more suffocating. She had no choice, Sugar tossed away the mascot head so she could actually breathe.

"Cute costume, maybe don't make yourself stick out so much next time," Anne Maria quipped while snapping the picture. "Ha! One down, one to go."

Even if she was in the middle of hacking up a lung, Sugar couldn't help but notice the oddity of what her opponent said. "One? Whadda mean one to go? Ain't DJ and Trent still out there too? Are y'all working together?"

Both girls shared a look and said nothing.

"You are! That ain't fair, you can't just gang up on one team together!"

Leshawna shrugged uncaringly. "Nothing in the rules that says we can't."

"For all you know it's all just one big coinkydink that the two of us ran into you at the same time." She elbowed her temporary partner and started walking away. "Now come on, I gotta feeling it just so happens we'll wind up coming across Sammy before anyone else."

Sugar's glared in disbelief, but the girls remained unbothered. With them gone the best the pageant girl could do was quickly get back to the plane and help Jasmine take them out first. Oh right, speaking of which how IS Jasmine doing right now anyway?

"Crap crap crap CRAP..."

Trent was running with all his might, holding up a trench coat behind him as a makeshift block from getting his picture taken. Jasmine was hot on his tail, camera at the ready for the moment he slipped up. He did his best to push past any pedestrians to keep as much distance between him and her as possible, but it was clear he was running out of options. Eventually he found himself cornered and with no choice but to make a dash across a large green suspension bridge. Best case scenario was that she'd maybe get winded since she had been running around all day. In the worst case scenario, maybe he could at least try and escape into the water?

It was once he was halfway across that Trent realized he didn't hear footsteps running at him anymore. Even once he slowed his pace he still couldn't sense her behind him. Just where the heck had she gone?

"Did she actually get tired out?" Trent cautiously turned around... and there was still no tall lady in sight. Not on the other side of the bridge, not dangling from the suspensions above him, nothing. "Huh. Guess so."

Still, best to get as much as a head start as possible when it comes to her. He'd keep going and-

"Gotcha." He was nearly blinded by the camera flash before he could even realize Jasmine had been waiting behind him.

"Wha-... how did you-"

"Crawled underneath, figured you wouldn't be checking there," she explained casually, as if it was a mundane skill that anyone could have pulled off. "Then crept my way up behind you while your back was turned."

"... great." Trent sighed and started wiping his makeup off. "And here I thought the disguise would throw you guys off."

"It definitely threw me for a loop at first, but I figured out who you were soon enough. You have a very, uh-" She stared at his abnormally tall ass forehead for a moment before shaking the thought away. "Distinctive swagger to you, it could only hide so much."

*** Confessional: Jasmine ***

"First Brick, then Anne Maria, and now Trent. Don't think I haven't noticed that I seem to be the only one on my team eliminating anyone. Sammy's still out there, and I saw Beardo at least try, but what the bloody hell are the others standing around doing?"

*** Outside the Jumbo Jet ***

Speaking of the others, Sugar had made it back to the plane to collect her paparazzi gear. Dave wasn't far behind her, his clothes looking torn and his hair disheveled.

"Didn't you get knocked out hours ago?" the country girl scolded him. "Where in tarnation have you been?"

"I may have got lost on the way back and wound up in Skid Row without realizing it. It was uh... it was an experience, let's just say that much." She inched closer, her eyes pleading for more details. So he brushed past her, scowling. "I don't want to talk about it. Before I head back out I'm gonna need at least two bottles of sanitizer to make up for-"

Before he knew it the germaphobe was getting yanked into the plane. Obviously curious, Sugar followed. The two of them found Amy, motioning for them to keep their voices down.

"Speaking of where in tarnation people have been..."

"Waiting for you idiots, that's where I've been," the mean twin hissed, motioning for them to follow her. "I bet my lame-o sister is just itching to throw this challenge so she can try to vote me off or whatever, so I've got a plan to make sure we win just to spite her."

"It ain't just her," Sugar whispered. "Leshawna and Annie Rhea basically teamed up to get me eliminated, and they ain't even on the same gosh darn team! I reckon they're in cahoots to try and make us lose."

That seemed to genuinely get Amy a bit shaken. She was expecting the other half of the team to be working against her, but both enemy squads on top of that? Ugh, why did it feel like the whole world was against her, she didn't even do anything! As far as she believed, at least.

"All the more reason to put the plan into motion," Dave pointed out to get everyone's heads back in the game. "What do you got for us?"

Amy nodded and led the two towards the cockpit entrance, taking care to be as stealthy as possible so they could get a good look at Chef watching the monitor. Then led them back out of earshot.

"Chef's watching everyone like a hawk and I can see who's hiding where this way. DJ and Dawn are the only ones left for the other teams, eliminate one of them and we're safe. And guess what? Those idiots are hiding TOGETHER!"

Sugar gasped dramatically. "Aw hell nah, they're going around being all mushy gush everywhere in the city? All while Chef watches? Them hippie folk sure are into weird stuff."

"Ignore her." Dave folded his arms to appear more serious. "It's a great plan, but there's one problem. The safe zone switches, so even if we memorize where they are now, by the time we get there they'll already be gone."

"Not if I stay here and watch Chef's screen while you guys go get them! And let me guess, you're about to ask how I can tell you what to do when we're separated. With these!" Grinning proudly, she pulled two flip phones from her skirt pocket. "Ta-da! I keep one phone, you two take the other, then I call and give you instructions on where to find those losers at!"

"Huh." Dave looked over the phone, relatively old school and rudimentary. "Doesn't look like your style."

She scoffed in offense. "Oh my gosh, you think I'd trust you two with something I own? As if. Remember how I got good at pickpocketing? I just lifted them off some people outside the airport."

Dave blinked in surprise. "You... stole them?"

"And? They'll probably get to be on TV because of it, it's fine. Now hurry up, you have to get this done before my dumb sister gets eliminated. Can't be much longer now."

On that note, things switched to show Sammy trudging through the sewers. The safe zone had just changed again, but the odor was starting to get to her. One she was all clear she'd have to hide above ground for a while and just hope for the best. "Let myself get caught, keep hiding and wait it out. Let myself get caught, or keep hiding and wait it out."

She repeated her options over and over to pass the time, sighing in frustration at her bracelet. "What are those two even doing to stay safe so long? Dawn I understand, but Jasmine can't find a buff guy like DJ anywhere?"

Ah, time to check in on those two again? Fine then. The nature lovers had expertly maneuvered throughout Los Angeles as if it were child's play. Anytime if seemed they were reaching a dead end, Dawn would point out some obscure way to continue on. Climbing fire escapes and gutters, crawling through tight spaces, blending into dense crowds before disappearing into side paths unseen. DJ's size meant some of the short cuts that would normally be available to her were off the table, but in turn his strength allowed him to more easily scale rough surfaces or reach areas she couldn't. Plus his charisma leant itself well for the times they'd have to enlist the help of locals, whereas Dawn likely would have scared people off with her usual quirks.

With the safe zone changed, the two found themselves at Griffith Observatory. Thankfully a place with plenty of obscure nooks and crannies to hide themselves in if Jasmine or any of the other Explosive crew members showed signs of snooping around. After ignoring the weird wolf and owl creatures having a moment, they found a spot with a good view where they could take some time to relax while having plenty of room to escape.

"Getting down to the wire, huh?" DJ noted after checking his bracelet. "Think we'll make it?"

"There's no guarantee, Sammy is a talented young woman despite all the trauma she's endured to tell her otherwise after all." Dawn smiled, taking in the beauty of the view. "But having five people all working together to hunt her down isn't in her favor."

Her larger companion smirked. "Sure... but there's ALSO five members of her team looking for us and we ARE standing around together. Odds are pretty neck and neck, I'd say."

"Touché." As the two gazed out at the city, Dawn would sometimes catch glimpses of what she thought to be Jasmine's hat, or Beardo's massive hair, but they'd always turn around to reveal someone else. Their skills were good, but the tension was real. Very soon the challenge would be over. Didn't matter if it was Sammy taking the fall or them, things were sure to be near the climax. While they were enjoying a moment as peacefully as they could, she couldn't think of many better opportunities to finally test the waters. "Mind if I ask you something?"

"Of course not! Fire away."

"All of this being for a challenge aside, have you enjoyed yourself? Spending time with me and whatnot."

DJ chuckled. "Well yeah, obviously! Checking out all these cool sights, putting our heads together to sneak around, getting to have all these talks. You bet I've been enjoying it, you're always super easy to chill with, ya know?"

"I'm glad you feel that way." She noticed what looked to be a glimpse of a sweater vest and large blonde hair in the distance but just kept a watchful eye for now. "And you'd consider me a friend, correct?"

"Tch, is that even a question? We ain't even on the same team and you've helped me out a bunch! No offense to your teammates but I wouldn't have had this much fun having to spend a whole day with them. We're friends for sure."

The two figures almost certainly seemed to be Dave and Sugar, but for now they were stuck searching around the outside of the observatory. Time was running out, though, time to get to the point. "Then as you friend, I feel I owe you transparency. You see, while I was telling the truth about my team wanting to form a truce, I did have ulterior motives for asking you to accompany me today."

"That right?" The brickhouse chuckled as if she was joking. "You lure me out here to toss me in the back of a trunk or something?"

"No, quite the opposite. I was hoping to find a good moment to admit that I've developed a crush on you."

Between the matter of fact tone, the suddenness, and the pure bluntness of it all, DJ's poor mind had to take a moment to figure out if he had heard things correctly. Each moment of his silence adding another drop of sweat to Dawn's forehead. Had she misjudged her timing?

"Wait... wait wait wait, hold up." DJ held his hands up and tried to focus. "You said you have a crush on me? Like, feelings, wanting to date, that kinda thing?"

"Yes, I suppose that sums it up." Her sharp gaze froze him in place. "Thoughts?"

First she'd get more silence as he let his mind go over the implications of the bombshell. Then various memories started flooding back. "Wait a minute, is this what Scott was about to-"

"Yes."

"And what Beth was trying to sa-"

"Yes."

"Even what Leshawna was scolding me over?"

"Yes, DJ. Perhaps by some sort of display of Mother Nature's odd sense of humor, I'm fairly certain you were the only person on the plane left that didn't realize I had developed feelings for you."

"... Huh." He let himself slide against the wall, unable to resist a small giggle. "Damn I'm dense. That explains a few things. What made you decide to tell me all of a sudden?"

"Norbert advised me that it would likely be my best course of action." Obviously he was confused, but she was moving on before he could even ask about the name. "I just wanted to be honest about this being part of my intentions. Regardless of how you feel in turn, I do hope we can remain friends... but that being said, what DO you feel?"

He raised an eyebrow before realizing what she meant. "Oh! You mean if I like you back? Sorry, this is all kinda new to me. I ain't ever really done the whole romance thing before."

"I've noticed." Seamlessly shifting back to therapist mode, Dawn continued to check in on Dave and Sugar periodically while trying to focus on DJ. "Matters of the heart typically stick out prominently in one's aura. Passionate love, anguishing heartbreak, regret over things left unsaid, and everything in between. It's incredibly common, most people on the plane even have something in the aura related to their love life. Not you, though."

DJ chuckled bashfully. "I'd say so, I ain't ever dated anyone. Haven't even tried asking a girl out before. Always figured that with momma's overprotectiveness and high standards, she wouldn't have approved of... well, anyone really."

"And as we've discussed, you should be able to think of what YOU want for yourself without worrying about her input." Her eyes were clearly searching him for an answer, though more out of a wish for him to think for himself than anything. "So what does DJ the individual think?"

He sighed in contemplation, leaning over the observatory railing. "I think that you're fun to hang out with. You're cute, you're caring, and you're kind of weird. But it's like, the kinda weird you wanna be around, ya know?"

She could already feel that there was a second part to this. "But?"

"But, I don't know how this whole relationship thing works. I DO know, though, that I wanna win the game this time. Like, I really wanna do it. Not even for the money, really, just prove that I have it in me." He returned to leaning against the wall, thankfully right before he would have been in eyesight of Dave and Sugar. "And I know that relationships hurt your chance to win. I've seen it from a bunch of friends. Geoff and Bridgette, Duncan and Courtney, Trent and Gwen. All of em at one point or another got screwed over because of their relationship. Heck, look at what's happened this season! Scott and Courtney got knocked out because they were wrapped up in their baggage, Cody just got screwed because he was attached to Sammy, I'd even wager it ain't a coincidence that someone as useful to a team as Shawn got taken out as early as he did considering what a powerhouse him and Jasmine are."

All very true examples. Dawn couldn't deny his worries about the game. She didn't personally care about winning all that badly, but it was clear as day to see how bad he wanted it. But even then, did that mean they had to drop the idea entirely? "Well, at least Harold wasn't eliminated because of his relationship, hm?"

She successfully got him to laugh, though his expression returned to a serious one. "Sure, but guess who Courtney wanted to target first back in Ireland before there was an official alliance with me, her, and Beth? And the main reason she wanted him out specifically was because..."

"... he was attached to Leshawna. Point taken." She took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm sorry for causing you unneeded stress, we'll drop the conversa-"

"I didn't say no," DJ cut off sternly. "It's just... not yet? Let me have some time to think about it and everything, ya know? This doesn't seem like something I should just rush into. And until I've decided, we can still work together and be friends, yeah?"

"Is that even a question?" She smiled sweetly up at him. "Of course, take all the time you please. For now we'll focus on the game... and on that note, we need to move."

DJ raised an eyebrow. "We leaving?"

"No, going out into the open is too risky, Dave and Sugar are nearby and who knows where Jasmine could be hidden." He tensed up but she quickly patted his arm reassuringly. "Follow my lead, hopefully the others are almost done."

*** Confessional: Amy ***

"Ugh, gag. Having to watch all of that from Chef's monitors was so not how I wanted to spend my evening." She flipped her hair dramatically. "I'm not, like, beating a dead horse or whatever. But if I was the one who asked him, he would have said yes on the spot!"

*** At Griffith Observatory ***

Long ass ship establishing scenes aside, there was still a challenge to finish. Dave and Sugar were hot on the trail, the former handling the cell phone since he didn't trust his teammate to even know how they work. "This place is massive, you're going to have to be more specific."

"Fine fine, just hurry up those stairs, the others are closing in on Sparemy." Amy glanced at a monitor in disgust. Her sister was running for her life through the park near the observatory. The various members of Old School and Radioactive tailed her, cameras flashing in an attempt to get a lucky shot. "Get a picture of the dumb witch girl first if you can."

Dave rolled his eyes. "No promises!"

Amy instructed them to a Planetarium within the facility. The darkness made for a good cover, but faintly through the crowd they could spot two figures. One short pale and blonde, the other tall buff and dark skinned. While Dave wanted to sneak up nice and slowly, Sugar threw caution to the wind and action rolled towards them.

"Gotcha, suckers!" The camera flash went off, revealing... a pair that certainly fit their description. Only this 'DJ' was about 20 years older with a bushy beard, while 'Dawn' had glasses and was somewhere in her 60s.

"Do you mind?" The old lady scolded. "The show's about to start!"

Dave and Sugar looked at each other in bewilderment, unaware that behind them on the other side of the room two figures were sneaking out the door.

Elsewhere, Sammy ran for her life through the park, sometimes having to duck behind trees to avoid detection. Brick would pass her by and she'd change directions, only to then have to give Leshawna the slip. Anne Maria would come from one side while Trent came from the other. All she could do was tumble down an incline to avoid their capture.

"Wait a minute..." She peeked around a tree and looked at each pursuer. Trent... Brick... Anne Maria... Leshawna... "Am I missing one?"

On cue, a victorious yell echoed above her. Quickly sliding his way down the hill as if he was gliding on air, Lightning vaulted just as soon as Sammy caught sight of him. He flipped through the air one... twice... THREE times before sticking the landing behind her. She tried in vain to run but before she had even taken her first step the camera had went off and the bracelet fell. She groaned and allowed herself to rest by collapsing.

"Sha-victory! We did it!" He raised his camera as if it was the World Cup, cheers echoing up the hill from the others. Back at the jet Amy stared slackjawed in disbelief before tossing the cellphone down and stomping it to bits. Dave tried to reach her on the other end, but he got no response.

Outside the planetarium, DJ and Dawn watched and grinned once Sammy's face disappeared from the screen.

"Guess it's just us now." He let go of the breath he was holding in. "I'll head back in so they can capture me."

Dawn's smile dropped slightly. "What do you mean? You're not giving up, are you?"

"Your sneaking is what got us the win, you earned it." He shrugged. "I was just the sidekick this time, ya know?"

Her smile returned and Dawn shook her head. "My team enjoyed first class twice in a row. You guys deserve a break."

DJ was, of course, going to protest. But before he could act, Dawn slipped back into the room and faked a gasp. Sugar's reflexes were on point, and she snapped a picture in an instant.

"Yee haw, I got her!"

But she wasn't upset. In fact, Dawn looked downright happy for the challenge to be over. Sugar was confused, but Dave immediately realized the implications and facepalmed. Just for a bit of added flair, DJ strolled in and displayed the remaining bracelet happily.

"Contestants, get back to the Jet pronto," Chris voice echoed from the device. "We'll make the results official!"

---

Soon enough everyone had been corralled back at the jet. "And it's official! DJ was our last man standing, so Team Old School is finally out of the doghouse. First class is all yours, dudes. On the flip side, Team Explosive's lucky streak is up! We'll be kicking one of your guys off later tonight." He paused for dramatic effect, then chuckled. "Or rather, one of you gals. We actually gotta stay here in LA for a bit so lets make this snappy, I wanna hit the town."

"We're actually staying put for a bit?" Trent asked. "Why? You guys run out of gas again?"

"Scheduling issue, that's all you need to know." He shared a knowing look with Chef and they chuckled ominously.

"So, what, you had the plane take off JUST so you could shove someone out?" Anne Maria pointed a thumb to the nearest window. They were indeed airborne.

"Yup! An elimination without the fall just doesn't hit as well, ya know!" Everyone gave him confused or unamused looks. "Presentation, people! It's more important than you realize. Now get to voting!"

*** Confessional: Sammy ***

"I guess this is finally it. With Beardo on our side for sure we know it'll go to a tie breaker. I've been bracing to do this for a while now. I can't wait to beat her and-

*** Confessional: Amy ***

"-finally get her off the plane! It's going to be soooo satisfying finishing her. And hey, maybe she'll get lucky and that boyfriend of hers won't have had time to move on yet."

*** On the Jumbo Jet ***

Elsewhere in the halls, Sugar followed the smell of lemons to the cafeteria. But all she'd find was Dave sitting alone nearby, slathering on a fresh coat of hand sanitizer.

"Hey twiggy boy, you know where that smell's coming from?"

"Hm? Oh, that observatory had a pretty nice gift shop. I picked up a few fresh bottles of sanitizer before I left." He held up the bottle and waggled it. "See? Lemon scented."

"... can ya eat it?"

Dave stared in disbelief. "I worry about you sometimes. But since you're here, have you voted yet? I've been meaning to run something by you."

She shrugged. "I ain't voted yet, but what's there to go over? We're just voting for Samey and letting them sisters fight it out!"

"Yeah about that..." As far as he could tell there was no one nearby and no one who could hear them. Still, he kept his voice low. "I've been thinking we should maybe just cut our losses and distance ourselves from Amy while we can. We could vote her off with the others as a way to save face."

Her normally jovial expression switched immediately to a glare. "You wanna be a turncoat? The heck's wrong with you?"

"I just think we need to weigh our options here," he quickly shot back, hands held up defensively. "You said it yourself, the other teams were working against us today. Why? Because they all hate Amy's guts. If we keep associating with her once the merge rolls around, that's basically guaranteeing we become targets once she's gone. But if we help get rid of her and play it off like she just manipulated us, well..."

"Show some gosh darn backbone." She jabbed a finger at Dave's chest. "I don't mind a good backstab, but that don't make no sense. They'll still pick us off next if we eliminate her if we lose again!"

"Maybe not! If we get rid of Amy, maybe you can smooth things over with Beardo. Then we're back in-"

As this had been going on, a snooping Amy listened from the shadows and balled her fists up. Tempting as it was to punch the wall, she had to think fast to shut this down. She did her best to channel the rage into sadness and marched out from the darkness to bump into Dave mid-sentence. Hard enough to make him drop his sanitizer bottle.

"Oh, hey Amy!" Dave chuckled nervously and scooted back. "You, uh... heard all of that, didn't you?"

He braced himself for the insults. Yelling, cussing, she was probably going to even kick him in the kiwis. The dread was strong enough that he even shut his eyes while waiting for the worst... only to open them when he heard a sniffle.

"So you're just going to leave me like everyone else does?" Tears started to stream down the cheerleader's face. "Fine. Do it then. I'm used to it by now. Everyone always takes her side in the end. I just thought... you might be different."

Dave relaxed, looking at Sugar in confusion. She was just as lost as him. "What do you mean?"

"Y-you were working so hard to help me. That idea you had with B, that plan to get out Dawn, and even when that didn't work you went all out to help us with Cody!" She sobbed into a handkerchief she had pulled out of seemingly nowhere. "I really thought we were forming something special! But I guess you just hate me too like everyone else..."

"Whoa whoa whoa, I don't hate you?" Suddenly his eyes shot open. "But what do you mean something special?"

Bingo. It took every fiber of her being not to smirk, Amy had to keep the act up. "W-well you did imply last challenge that if it was a boyfriend I wanted you'd be interested. With the bond we were forming I thought that maybe..."

"... maybe?" Dave continued, eying her up hopefully.

Once he seemed fully within her snare, she went in for the finisher. She grabbed Dave's face and pulled him in for a kiss. Sugar gasped dramatically.

"S-sorry, I don't know what came over me." Amy sighed. "I know, you hate me now. Why would you ever want to-"

"Of course I'll be your boyfriend!" Dave quickly cut off, laughing giddily. "I am SO sorry Amy, I have no idea what came over me. Please don't hold it against me, as far as I knew you weren't interested."

"Don't be silly, of course I'd want to be with you." She glanced out the window, noting how dark it was getting. "But you better hurry and vote for Samey, we don't have much time left."

Well he didn't need to be told twice. Dave rushed off, more elated than he had been all season. Amy watched him, satisfied with her work. All the while Sugar started to get misty eyed and wiped away a tear.

"Love is just so beautiful..."

And then Amy spat and furiously wiped at her lips. "Oh my gag, you didn't actually believe any of that, did you?"

"Huh?" Sugar blinked in confusion. "Buy what?"

"That dumb romance act, duh. You think I'd actually be caught dead dating a scrawny dork like that in the real world? As if." She sighed in contempt, sinking into a nearby chair. "But I couldn't let him start thinking about betraying us. I've been waiting to send Sparemy out of the plane too long to let him ruin it. If I have to suffer through a kiss every now and then to keep him in line, whatever. At least he's not like, super ugly or something."

Finally realization caught up to Sugar and a bemused smile formed. "So you were just selling him a bill of goods to get him to keep working with us? That's a slick trick, girlie."

Finally, genuine praise for her skills! She smirked back. "Ugh, I know, I'm so good I even surprise myself. Now hurry up and go vote for my sister, I've got a tie breaker to mop the floor with her in."

---

Not too much later, Team Explosive returned to the ceremony for the first time in a while. Not counting when they sat in on Cody's elimination at least. Many of the contestants had hard to read expressions, but most notable was definitely the determined scowls that Sammy and Amy were both rocking. They stared at each other, thirsty for the chance to see the other kicked out of the jet. As always Chris had the plate of barf bags at the ready, reading the votes and laughing to himself.

"Well now, welcome back Team Explosive! Only your third elimination all season? Heck of a lucky streak you guys broke, and all it took was giving the others a reason to work against you! But enough about all that." He grabbed the first puke packet and tossed it at the Aussie. "Jasmine scored 3 out of 4 eliminations for you dudes, and since Dawn gave herself up I don't really feel like giving credit for the 4th one anyway. It'd be kinda messed up if you guys kicked her out."

"Like that'd stop them," she mumbled, offering her friend a reassuring pat on the back.

"Probably not. Anyway, also safe is former friends Sugar and Beardo!"

The later pumped his fist and did a recreation of jingle when Kirby clears a level. As for Sugar, once she was done scarfing down the peanuts she offered him a high five, but Beardo pretended to not notice her.

"And the penultimate barf bag goes to... Dave!"

He dodged the retch receptacle, opting to just smile without much comment or fanfare.

"Which unsurprisingly leaves us with the twins! Amy, Samey, the two of you got serious history, and beef for days. Total Drama's seen a lot of rivalries, but a hatred between sisters just hits different, ya know? I'm gonna miss the great TV having you two together brings." He gave a minute to let them continue glaring at one another. On one side Jasmine was backing up her friend, on the other Sugar eager to root for her ally. "But of course only one of you can stay."

It was time. This had to end. Chris held up the final symbol of immunity and pointed for dramatic effect. "The FINAL... barf bag of the night... goes too...

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... Samey!"

Amy and Sugar's gasps were drowned out by the cheers from everyone else. Sammy held her barf bag up victoriously and hugged Jasmine.

"Now hold on, that can't be right," Sugar protested.

"It was a tie," Amy yelled, shaking in rage. "Check the votes again!"

Chris shrugged and held up the passports, cycling through so each so the contestants could see. "One for Amy, one for Samey, two for Amy, two for Samey, three for Amy, aaaaaand four for Amy! 4 beats 2, brah."

As both girls continued to try and comprehend how that could be possible, someone suddenly cleared their throat loudly and leered their way.

"That's right, it was me," Dave announced. "I'm done being manipulated by you!"

"Bloke told us everything," Jasmine added, relishing in the evil twin's despair. "Explained how you played him and that he was going to make it right by helping us get rid of you."

"He... WHAT?" She stomped forward towards the germaphobe but Beardo blocked her path. "What the hell, Dave!"

For a moment the two locked eyes and Amy detected a bitter hatred in his gaze. Dave looked down and shook his head. "I overheard everything."

Just as confused as her ally, Sugar pushed forward. "Overheard what?"

*** Earlier in the night ***

"But you better hurry and vote for Samey, we don't have much time left."

Dave hurried off, a skip in his step and a song in his heart. Vote Samey off? Sure! He had a girlfriend now! A real girlfriend! It was the least he could do for her. What was he thinking trying to backstab her, he should have seen the clear signs that they were becoming an item. The fact that she still wanted to be with him despite his scheming? It was enough to make a guy swoon. Soon Samey would be gone and the two of them could enjoy their time as-

"Wait, where's my hand sanitizer?" Dave felt around his pockets before remembering when Amy bumped into him earlier. It sent the bottle tumbling to the floor. He chuckled at his forgetfulness and rushed back to grab it before Sugar tried to eat it. Yet as soon as he neared the room...

"Oh my gag, you didn't actually believe any of that did you?"

Amy's voice. Dave raised an eyebrow and sneaked his way to the entrance of the room, keeping out of sight while listening in on her and Sugar's conversation. He heard it all clear as day. She had tricked him. There was no bond, no actual crush. She was just using him for his vote. Her cocky tone, Sugar's amused reaction. It was taunting him. Here it was happening again. Just getting strung along to watch him be crushed. Dave was the fool, same story different girl. He trembled with rage and had to cover his mouth to stop himself from yelling out.

"Now hurry up and go vote for my sister, I've got a tie breaker to mop the floor with her in."

No time to stick around. Dave jogged out of there before either girl could realize he'd been listening. As he stomped back to the confessional, he balled up a fist and punched the wall.

*** Confessional: Dave ***

"Again... It's happening... again." He stared at the camera, then down at his hands, finally out the window. After a few manic rapid breaths he let out a furious scream and punched another wall. He was met with a sore hand for his troubles. "No! I am NOT letting another girl make me look like an idiot on TV. This isn't going to keep happening, I won't let it. Amy wants to play that way? Alright! I'll play that way. Who's going to look like the idiot when this is all over? Not me! That's for sure!"

*** At the Elimination Area ***

Back in the present, Dave stared at the ground pretending to be filled with regret. "You knew I was feeling vulnerable after what happened with Sky and you manipulated me into going along with all your schemes. You made me help you sabotage Team Radioactive, had me take part in that Cody stuff, you even tricked me into voting off my only friend on the team!"

Amy gaped in disbelief. She tried to lunge at the guy, but Beardo's massive frame was still blocking her. "Those were all YOUR ideas you lying little twerp!"

"Save it, Amy." Sammy also put herself between her sister and Dave. "You lost. Your actions caught up to you. Now it's time to pay for them."

"But I'm not lying, this was all him!" Chef dragged her to the open hatch, shoving a parachute in her arms. "Dave you spineless loser, what did you do! You think I'll let you get away with this? Do you have ANY idea who you're dealing w-"

Before she could finish the boot came swinging down and the mean girl was finally gone from the jet. Everyone except Sugar once again cheered, with Sammy nearly in tears from the weight being lifted from her shoulders. Beardo recited the fanfare from Sonic clearing a level, and Jasmine gave Dave a sympathetic pat on the head.

"We should go break the good news to the others," Sammy told her team. "Let's celebrate!"

Her, Jasmine, and Beardo filed out towards economy class, the later even letting out a victorious trumpet fanfare. But Dave? He stuck around for a moment, scooting closer to the still shell shocked Sugar. She looked at him in disbelief and he just smiled back.

"Fun ceremony, eh?" He reached into her pocket and retrieved his lemon scented hand sanitizer. Thank goodness, seems she had only had a small swig of it. "Thanks for holding on to this for me."

And with that he left, whistling a merry tune. Things switched to Chef and Chris in the cockpit for their usual outro.

"Well now! Seems like wimpy Dave has upgraded to vengeful Dave. I'm proud of our little incel." The host chuckled. "Gonna miss Amy being a menace to Sammy and the others though."

Chef raised an eyebrow. "You using her regular name now?"

"Eh, the gag doesn't really work with her sister gone. And now that she is, what will happen for the rest of the cast? Will Dave continue going scorched earth, or will Sugar hatch up some revenge? Is Dawn going to get a yes from DJ, or will she be banished to the friend zone? And just why did we have to stay here in Los Angeles for a minute? Hmm, maybe it's because of that dumb Aftermath show? So for just this one time, I'll tell you guys to go tune in for it. Then you can come back for the REAL show, right back here on TOTAL... DRAMA... BATTLE OF THE GENERATIONS!"

Voting Confessionals:

Amy stamped her twin's passport with a cocky sense of confidence. "I hope you're bringing your all to this tie breaker, Sparemy. It'll make it more embarrassing when I kick your butt! Tell your nerdy boyfriend that I said hi!"

Beardo held the stamp like it was the handle of a sword and swung it around while making lightsaber noises. Then he brought it down on Amy's passport with an electric crackle.

"You brought this on yourself. Maybe if you had kept your mouth shut I would have stayed tricked and you could have survived a few more episodes." Dave bitterly cast his vote for his former ally. "Oh well. Thanks for the kiss, asshole."

The grumpiness that usually accompanied Jasmine ever since Shawn's elimination was finally gone and she happily stamped Amy's face. "It's been a long time coming, but you finally made one enemy too many. From your sister? This is for Cody. But from me? This is for Shawn."

Speaking of which, Sammy was actually quite calm in stamping her twin's passport this time. She had an air of closure and acceptance to her. "Not even trying to petty, I just mean this genuinely. This may be the last time I ever see her. I don't think we'll be in each other's lives after this. So... bye, Amy. I hope you can change someday for whoever has to deal with you in the future."

And then there was Sugar, who took a swig of Dave's sanitizer before stamping Sammy's passport. "Darn it, smells like lemons but it don't taste like it! Has a bit of a kick to it though, really cleans out the pipes... oh yeah, uh, don't let the door hit ya on the way out or whatever."

Votes for Amy: 4 (Beardo, Dave, Jasmine, Sammy)

Votes for Sammy: 2 (Amy, Sugar)

After the Boot of Shame:

Amy hadn't had the chance to actually put her parachute on before getting booted out, so she screamed bloody murder while rushing to slip it over her shoulders. Nothing to help keep her focused on not dying like venting at the camera. "Tell me that did not just happen. Eliminated by Dave? DAVE? No. Nuh uh. This isn't real. I'm going to wake up, Sugar's going to tell me that I won the tie breaker, and everything's going to be the way it's supposed to."

But there was no waking up, just plummeting to the ground. She let out a banshee screech and finally deployed the parachute. "Don't think that this means you won, Samey! It's a total fluke! I'll get the last laugh somehow, just you wait!"

Suddenly she realized that she was landing in a large body of water. But it wasn't the ocean or a river, just... a massive swimming pool? Indeed, she surfaced to find herself in a long rectangular pool, nestled behind a fancy upscale house on the hills of Hollywood. The temperature was just right, and the view of the city was immaculate.

"Well I guess I've earned some rest for now. Where am I, anyway?"

The camera panned over to show some lounge chairs nearby. On one was a breathtaking actor with a long black mane, sweet facial hair, probably knew kung fu. The kinda celeb that gets maximum wholesome chungus 100 upvotes on Reddit. And clearly he was very confused why some cheerleader had fallen out of the sky into his pool.

"Oh hey, it's you!" Amy acted nonchalant, leaning against the edge of the pool. "I really liked that movie where you killed a bunch of guys with a pencil."

"Thanks, I did all my own stunts for it. Say, hold that though, would you?" He reached under his seat to procure a walkie talkie. "Security, we've got a code green located in the pool."

On cue multiple burly men with taser guns popped out from around every corner, every tree, even one from the hot tub. Amy yelped and tried to run away but was bombarded with electricity while the screen faded to black.

Remaining Contestants:

Team Old School: DJ, Leshawna, Trent

Team Radioactive: Anne Maria, Brick, Dawn, Lightning

Team Explosive: Beardo, Dave, Jasmine, Sammy, Sugar

Elimination Order:

13th: Amy

14th: Cody

15th: Beth

16th/17th: Courtney and Scott

18th: B

19th: Shawn

20th: Dakota

21st: Rodney

22nd: Harold

23rd: Izzy

24th: Staci

Author's Note:

I hope the FBI agent in my computer doesn't find it weird that I spent a bit of time googling around "celebrity name's house/location/etc" for that ending gag, I spent some time figuring out what celeb I wanted to put into that blink and you'll miss it scene that most people probably skipped over before eventually settling on Keanu... oh, uh, yeah Amy is gone. Let's talk about that, shall we?

Multiple people have been predicting this coming for a while and yeah, this was always the plan. I believe a common label for the role I wanted Amy to fill is known as the Disc One Final Boss. As an emotionally abusive and all around manipulative asshole, Amy fitss seamlessly into a villain role. There's of course plenty of people who like to see a redeemed Amy, I'd enjoy seeing it done well myself, but that wasn't the goal for me here. However, what sets someone like Amy apart from a Heather or Josee is that she's really lacking in intelligence and cunning. She was certainly the head bitch of the villainous alliance, but think about it. What did I have her really do that was all her own? Shawn's elimination was forced by Dave. Tinkering with B's device was Dave's idea. Everything last chapter was also courtesy of Dave. And of course, who just pulled the trigger on her elimination? So yeah, Amy works great as a starter villain but carrying a season as the main antagonist? Nah. I think this halfway point boot is about as good as possible for her.

On that note, since it's going to be quite obvious going forward anyway, let's go ahead and rip this Band-Aid off because I'm well aware that this is a contentious character. Indeed, Dave is going to fill the story's main villain role going forward. He was low key for a decent amount of the first half while Amy took center stage as an antagonist, but it was all to lead up to him being the one to screw her over. Him being the brains of the operation was sort of my way to foreshadow what was to come. Yes I know, many people dislike Dave and don't want to see him in a main role. And on the flipside, those who do like Dave may think I'm treating him poorly by putting him in the villain role, "demonizing" him even. Personally I find Dave quite entertaining but his negative aspects are a big reason for why. Idk, I'd like to think I'm treating him decently well as a competent threat and not just blindly shitting on him like some authors do, but it's up to y'all to decide if you like how I write him going forward I suppose. Hopefully he becomes entertaining in the role, at the very least.

Miscellaneous stuff time, let's talk DJ and Dawn. Last chapter had a lot of shipping related stuff in it, Dawn's feelings included, so those who don't care for that aspect in comp fics probably weren't jazzed to see that storyline get a chunk of the chapter but it had to be done. That being said, I'm hoping to do things a bit differently with this dynamic. Obviously the feelings are now out there but they aren't a couple at the moment. Now I'm going to try and have them focus on the game while just keeping that in the back of their minds so they don't feel rushed or like this is the only thing they have going on. Dawn especially has been a bit too focused on her DJ crush these last few chapters so now that she's said her piece I'm hoping to have her participate in other stories. The rest of Radioactive has kind of took a break after their streak of bad luck, but things should be picking up for all of them soon. Ah and yeah, Los Angeles. It's arguably the second most iconic US city behind New York, I'm honestly shocked they never visited it in WT or RR so it felt like a no brainer. I hope the challenge across the various locations were fun, there was legit multiple things I had planned before research told me those locations weren't technically in LA itself but nearby cities (Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, etc).

Right then, next chapter is an Aftermath one. Because we've ended another arc of the story please, PLEASE send all your feedback and especially predictions. I love predictions, don't get enough of em. Who are you glad to see still here, shocked to see still standing, who do you want going far, who do you think is doomed, etc. As for when to expect it, I will be doing a few chapters in my What Could Have Been anthology story first. I'll do a few classic butterfly effect type chapters (first up is "What If Harold rigged the votes against Duncan instead of Courtney?"). But its next meaty chapter is actually going to be a bit of fun. I'll be predicting stereotypes and a boot order for the new cast in the upcoming season. So please feel free to check out What Could Have Been if you haven't already. After all that and a bit of gaming/movie watching, it's back to BOTG. I'd like to get the Aftermath done by the 23rd since I'll be doing an AMA over on the TD subreddit that day. Feel free to come by and ask me about my favorite episode of The Sopranos or something when that happens. Until next time!