WARNING: English isn't my first language, but I'm going to do my best to write as grammatically correct as possible.
Well, I finally managed to translate this chapter, and quite a time I took this time, I really appreciate the support that this story has and well, like I always say, I read the reviews, and I know that Naruto and Gwen are still a work in progress, but don't worry, I'm working on that in the original version, and I'm receiving some good opinions about how those two are developing, but well, I'll let you with the chapter.
"Speaking" character speaking
'[Language] Speaking' character speaking in another language
'Speaking' character thinking
~Speaking~ song or character singing
(Scene change)
TDI. Chapter 11: Heated competition
(Dock of Shame)
We can see Chris at the Dock of Shame, "Last time on Total Drama Island..." the campers are shown in their hunter and deer outfits, then changing to see deer groups walking through the forest, "Our campers dressed as hunters and prey for our paintball human deer hunt."
Now we see DJ throwing Owen off the cliff, "Owen was really excited to be the hunter, but it turned out that the hunter ended up hunted" now it shows the Screaming Gophers' girls shooting each other, "It also seems that the Gophers' girls started a civil war, wicked!" finally, Naruto is seen escaping from Eva "And Naruto took things too far by provoking the wrong person due to his pranks." Chris couldn't help but laugh as the screen showed Naruto hanging at the mercy of the athletic girl.
At the moment, we can see the Gophers' girls escaping from the bees, "I don't know what's happening with the Gophers, but lately, their luck hasn't been the best."
"We can't forget the denial of our polite girl, also known as Courtney" the host mentions as the camera shows the girl being carried on Duncan's back, "Dude, that girl needs to be honest with herself" Chris mentions as the cameras return to him.
"Anyway, what will our campers do today? Find out right now on TOTAL ... DRAMA ... ISLAND!" Chris announces with a zoom showing the island.
(Opening, if you are curious, see the chapter "Not so Happy Campers - Part 1")
(Killer Bass Cabin)
We can see all the guys from the team sleeping peacefully, some snoring, and others about to fall out of bed for some reason. Suddenly, Duncan wakes up, stretches a bit, and throws himself to the floor to start doing push-ups with his eyes closed. However, as he lowers, he notices a strange and horrible smell. Opening his eyes, he realizes he was getting close to some dirty underwear.
This prompts him to let out a disgusted scream that wakes up his cabinmates. "This is not cool at all, Harold, keep your damn dirty laundry in it's place, dude!" the delinquent scolds the nerd.
"They're not mine, gosh!" Harold denies immediately, but the others don't believe him.
"This didn't happen before you moved in with us, man, don't deny it," Geoff points out a valid point.
"It might have been one of you, and now you're using me as the target for everything," the nerd continues to deny, getting a bit irritated.
At this, Duncan could only snort, "Yeah, right, no one has underwear as small as yours, man" he makes another point.
"And besides, your mom sewed your name on them" DJ clarifies just for the nerd to get tired and grab a towel.
"Whatever, I'm going to shower" with that, Harold went to the communal bathrooms.
"I think Harold needs to be taught a lesson, guys" Duncan clarifies with a playful smile that Geoff and DJ quickly catch on to. They all agree, high-fiving to teach the nerd not to leave his dirty laundry lying around.
(Forest with Naruto and Gwen)
"Hey, everything okay?" Gwen asks her friend, who seems to be in a trance out of nowhere.
"I feel like my prank instincts just kicked in for a second" the Japanese guy clarifies, earning a puzzled look from the goth girl, but she dismissed it immediately.
"Whatever, what do you think about what I told you?" Gwen asks Naruto who put on a more serious expression.
"If what you're telling me is really happening, then we're screwed. We could be the next ones to go if we lose the next challenge" Naruto mentions without much enthusiasm. The possibility that a significant part of their team formed an alliance without their knowledge is a big problem to deal with.
"I know, that's why we need to gather allies as soon as possible and make sure to win at all times to prevent Heather from eliminating us" Gwen tells him her plan for Naruto's settlement, although he raises an eyebrow.
"It seems like you suspect that snob more than anyone else," he couldn't help but emphasize, making his friend roll her eyes.
"Considering who else is on our team, tell me who else could have come up with this idea?" Naruto opened his mouth to answer Gwen, but thought better of it. In reality, it was almost certain that the queen bee had this idea.
"Good point. I'll talk to Cody to get him on our side. Do you think we should bribe Owen with our supplies to get him with us?" the Japanese guy asks, making Gwen grimace. She didn't like the idea of cutting their supplies even more, they are running out again, and who knows when Chris will have another reward challenge. But they are in a risky situation, so without much more thought, she just nodded.
"I just hope everything goes well" the worried girl commented. Surprisingly, Naruto hugged her with one arm to calm her, she won't complain about it.
"Relax, everything will be fine. Although I must admit it feels like you and I are against the world" Naruto laughs a bit under his breath when mentioning the latter, he likes challenges.
"Control that impulse, Adventurer Naruto, you wouldn't want us to be discovered" Gwen clarifies with a smile; what can she say, his happiness is contagious.
"That's why you'll be watching my back, right, partner?" he asks, looking her in the eyes for confirmation, although the girl gets somewhat nervous being looked at so intensely, and the hug doesn't help much, to be honest.
"Of course, partner" the goth girl confirms, trying to control herself to avoid blushing, only for the loudspeaker to be heard shortly after.
"Attention, campers, I need you on the beach. It's time for today's challenge," Chris announces for Naruto to release Gwen and start heading to the beach.
"Well, it's better to know what Chris wants us to do this time. Are you coming?" the Japanese guy questions, and Gwen snaps out of her stupor, following him.
"Sure" the girl confirms, and the two go to the beach, not without remembering Leshawna's words, 'If he's not interested, then make him interested' the goth girl repeated in her mind, which made her take a deep breath and steel herself to quickly address him again.
"Hey, Naruto" the girl calls her friend.
"Umm... Yes Gwen?" the curious boy asks.
"Don't you want us to watch the sunset together again?" the girl asks, looking away a bit nervously as she doesn't know his response. And although the boy was a bit surprised, it wasn't a bad surprise.
"I'd love to" the boy answers with a small smile, a smile shared with his goth friend as the two walk together to the beach.
(Beach)
"All right, campers, today's challenge will test your minds, teamwork, and cooking skills" Chris announces as the others are confused, "You'll be cooking a three-course meal for the judge, moi, to determine which is the best" he clarifies, causing the campers to become indignant. Now they have to cook for the person who makes their lives miserable on this island?
"The winners get a reward tonight" Chris explains to make all the campers interested. Seriously, they were hoping for another chance to get more supplies.
Now content with having hooked their attention, the host continued, "Each team will decide who their head chef will be. The chosen one must determine the theme of the dishes and supervise at all times to make sure everything goes as it should" the host clarifies for everyone to ponder. In simple terms, the head chef is the one at the most risk of being eliminated if they happen to lose the challenge, but Chris continued with his explanation.
"As in any cooking competition, it's obvious that you'll need ingredients. That's why the truck that arrives every morning to supply the main hall brought more quantity and variety of food so that you have more options," Chris announces for a truck of food to emerge from the water as if it were the most normal thing that could exist. Even stranger is the fact that, upon opening the driver's window, a dolphin dressed in a work uniform peeks out to greet the campers cheerfully.
"The fuck?" Eva mumbles, not processing well what she just saw. How was that even possible?
"All right, I leave you to start the challenge" with that, Chris went to see what they were going to cook... and to call the paramedics in case they were terrible cooks.
"Does anyone have an idea of what our theme could be?" DJ asks his team, only for Geoff to answer.
"How about an Italian theme, guys?" the party guy suggests, and the rest of the Bass team thinks about it. In fact, it was a good idea.
"Well thought, head chef" Duncan clarifies, and Geoff is surprised.
"Me?" he points to himself for the rest of the team to nod.
"If it makes you feel better, we'll oversee the dishes fairly so that you don't get overwhelmed" Bridgette reassures her friend.
On the other hand, we can say that the Gophers are in another matter.
"I'll be the head chef," Heather announced immediately.
(Confession)
"I have to take leadership of my team" the queen bee clarifies with a frustrated face. "We're on a losing streak, and all my teammates are useless." The girl ranted until a fly flew into her mouth.
(Beach)
"Do you even know how to cook, Dweeb? I wouldn't be surprised if you only used an extremely complicated recipe and gave us orders all over the kitchen" Naruto replies for Heather to approach him and place her index finger on his chest.
"Listen well, cheap japanese gangster cosplayer. If you haven't noticed, we're loosing significantly to the other team. I won't even risk preparing something so complicated, so shut up and prepare your butt to work" she commands in a decisive manner but still maintaining patience with her Japanese companion. Although it should be noted that Duncan was holding back laughter thinking about the last thing Heather said in another way, something that Courtney noticed, and she elbowed him in the ribs with an annoyed look and a slight blush, understanding where the punk's thoughts were going.
"All right, spoiled exhibitionist, you're in charge, but make us lose the challenge, and believe me, I'll be the one throwing you into the boat of losers" Naruto doesn't stay behind and fires back so that the two of them stare at each other intensely with hatred, to the flat look of everyone who is more than used to the bickering between these two.
(Confession)
"I don't understand, why can't Heather and Nathan get along?" Lindsay asks for once, calling the queen bee by her name correctly but failing to call Naruto. The bombshell doesn't like seeing her team so divided, and the worst part is that they have been like this since the show started.
*Static*
"I swear those two argue like a married couple" Cody clarifies, with a hand on his face. In situations like these, he would have preferred to stay with the Bass.
*Static*
"Those two are going to end up together, mark my words," Chef asserts with a confident look, but it seems that Chris, who is beside him, has something more to say.
"I don't know, dude. Gwen seems to be getting closer to the guy, so something might happen between her and Naruto" the host informs Chef, who snorts.
"If she wants to do something, then she should do it now, since the karate maggot and the spoiled maggot are applying the hate-to-love cliche" the cook replies for Chris to give him a flat look.
"With the personalities of those two, I doubt it" Chris admits.
(Beach)
"All right, people, we need you to hurry with those boxes; we can't fall behind," Heather orders while the rest of her team, except Beth and Lindsay, carry the boxes.
"I already knew you were going to use us as your pack mules" the Japanese guy complains while carrying a box of oranges.
"Didn't your parents teach you to be courteous with a lady?" the queen bee retorts with her hands on her hips.
"You're right" Naruto admits to the shock of those present. Did the Japanese guy just agree with Heather? But everything returned to normal with what he said next.
"Gwen, give your box to the brute that is next to me, a lady like you doesn't deserve to be treated like this," Naruto informs with a face full of conviction. Too bad his comment earned him a tremendous smack on the back of the head from an angry Heather.
"Rot in hell, stupid jerk" the girl growls, but Naruto continues.
"And aren't I doing that right now?" the Japanese guy replies with an annoyed face. This time, he received a slap. "Ah, you hit hard, you annoying woman!" he complains, so the two argue again in front of Owen, Cody, and Gwen.
"Should we do something?" Owen asks while Gwen and Cody head to the kitchen.
"Don't bother, Owen. Sooner or later, they'll get tired. In the meantime, let's organize everything. They should finish their fight by then" the goth girl explains, only for the big guy to shrug and follow them.
(With Lindsay and Beth)
"Um... how does this work?" Lindsay asked while holding a broom, as Naruto, Owen, Cody, Heather, and Gwen brought in the boxes, the bombshell and Beth were preparing the cooking area.
"Have you never swept before?" Beth asked a bit tired. She had just cleaned the tables, chased away rats and cockroaches that had somehow invaded her kitchen area, and even chased away raccoons trying to steal their cooking equipment. Lindsay hadn't even started.
"Yeah, but I can't find the power button or the control to turn this on," Lindsay replied. Beth wanted to facepalm. Now she understood what the bombshell meant.
"It's a broom, Lindsay, not a vacuum cleaner. You have to use your arms" the farm girl clarified. She took Lindsay's broom and started sweeping, somewhat resigned. To her slight surprise, Lindsay picked up another broom and tried to imitate the girl as best as she could.
"Thanks for the help, Bella, and sorry for making you work too much" Lindsay thanked with a sincere smile. Even though it was barely noticeable, it was also a bit of a sad smile. Not many people notice it, but she was well aware how irritated others could get around her, and it was really frustrating to be thought of as helpless or useless.
Beth shook her head slightly, coming out of her amazement, and continued sweeping with a small smile. At least the girl appreciated her work. "No problem, Lindsay. Let's just keep sweeping."
(With the Killer Bass)
"All right, everything we need is here," Geoff said while looking at all the available supplies. He turned to his team, "We have three dishes and eight people. What do you think about splitting into pairs?" he asked, and the others agreed.
"Um... Geoff, wouldn't there be a pair with nothing to do?" Katie asked.
"Relax, friend. In that case, there'll be a group of three people while I oversee everything else. Now, what do you guys know to cook?" Geoff inquired, ensuring they wouldn't be cooking something they weren't familiar with.
"I can make sauces and creams," DJ offered, and Bridgette joined in.
"And I can make pasta," she added, giving each other a high-five. "How about spaghetti bolognese?" she suggested, and DJ agreed. Harold chimed in with some ideas.
"I can cook seafood" the nerd admitted, and when everyone looked at him curiously, he explained, "What? I learned it at Steve the Sea Chef's camp." He turned to DJ and Bridgette, "How about a cream pasta with shrimp and broccoli?" he suggested, and they liked the idea.
"We're going with your idea, dude. I like it" DJ said, genuinely pleased with their menu. They were even deviating a bit from typical Italian cuisine to add a touch of extravagance.
"I don't see a problem with that" Bridgette agreed.
"Great!" the nerd smiled as he joined them.
"The closest thing I can make to Italian cuisine is a salad," Eva admitted. Her meals usually required a lot of protein due to her training, so she couldn't contribute beyond something simple.
"We can improvise with that" Katie suggested, so the two of them teamed up. Even so, Katie turned to DJ, "Hey, DJ, can you make some sauce with olive oil?" she asked, and DJ agreed.
"No problem. I just need you guys to help me chop what I need," he requested, and Katie and Eva nodded.
"That only leaves us with dessert," Duncan said to Courtney, who widened her eyes upon realizing this fact.
"No" she stated firmly.
"Courtney..." Geoff began, but she cut him off.
"No! Please, guys, can't someone switch with me?" she pleaded, hoping for some mercy, but they all denied her request.
"Sorry, dudette, but I don't think any of the others know how to make an Italian dessert," Geoff pointed out, and the others agreed.
"And what makes you think I know?" Courtney retorted, prompting DJ to ask the crucial question.
"Do you know how to make at least one?" he inquired, leading to a moment of silence. Courtney's wide-open eyes confirmed that she did know how to make at least one Italian dessert.
"Then it's just you and me, princess," Duncan declared with a playful smile and a wink, eliciting a resigned groan from Courtney.
(Confession)
Courtney stood with crossed arms, thoroughly displeased with her current situation. "He's annoying, he never washes his hands..." she complained. The confessional video sped up to x10, showing various facets of Courtney as she spoke: irritation, confusion, acceptance, denial, disappointment, and occasionally a look... of hope?
But it seemed the video stopped speeding up to mention something that seemed unrelated to her current situation. "Having sunglasses doesn't make you look cool..." the video sped up again at x10 for a few seconds to see what the girl was talking about. "And there wasn't even a reason for it. Who does that?" she spoke as if what she had just talked about was something out of the ordinary. It seems she has quite a bit of frustration bottled up towards Duncan.
*Static*
"First, there's denial, then there are people who want to deny it despite knowing it's true, and then there's this girl" Chris remarked, shaking his head, with Chef nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, the love-struck maggot went off-topic after about 3 minutes. Who cares if the punk maggot is more interested in chocolate chip ice cream than vanilla?" Chef asked, and Chris responded.
"I guess only she does" the host clarified.
(With the Screaming Gophers)
"I need the pineapple pieces to be smaller, and don't forget to cut the cherries and kiwis," Heather ordered Beth and Lindsay as they did their best to cut for some fruit skewers.
"And I need the ribs to be more tender," the queen bee emphasized as Naruto punched the ribs like a punching bag while Owen held them.
"How can you tell how much it needs?" Owen asked, blinking in confusion.
"I've been cooking since I was little, so I know about these details" Heather replied naturally.
"You seem to learn something incredible every day" Gwen commented, a bit amazed, to Naruto's amusement.
"Good one, Gwen. You made my day" the Japanese guy said in a better mood to his friend. Cody and Gwen were making an upside-down flambé cake with nuts and citrus, a somewhat complicated dessert, but Heather was very selective in assigning those two to cook it.
"Shut up, clown" the queen bee retorted before turning to the goth. "And what do you mean by that, strange goth girl?"
"Well ..." Cody began hesitantly, but Naruto completed what his friend wanted to say without any fear.
"Knowing you, one would expect you to leave everything to a butler or something" he clarified, making the girl's eye twitch.
"Is it so surprising that I know how to do things for myself?" The silence that followed answered her question. Not even Lindsay and Beth said anything in this situation. This made the queen bee sigh in frustration. "Just keep cooking."
(With the Killer Bass)
"Alright, this water needs - whoops." DJ was 'carefully' walking until he 'tripped' and let the water in a pot spill onto Harold's pants, soaking him.
"Hey, watch it, dork-ahontas!" he complains, while Geoff and Duncan suppress their laughter.
"Oh man, that's bad. You should go to the cabin and get something to change into" Geoff recommends, and Harold reluctantly agrees and leaves.
Once Harold is out of sight, the rest of the guys can't help but laugh a bit, getting a look from the girls.
"Okay, what are you up to?" Bridgette asks them, and Geoff responds.
"Nothing bad, I swear. We just want to teach Harold a lesson to be more organized." Bridgette crosses her arms with an accusing look, but their expressions seem sincere.
"Fine, just don't ruin the challenge" she instructs, and the guys give her a thumbs-up for her amusement.
(Killer Bass Cabin - with Harold)
"Shirt ... shirt ... where are my pants and underwear?" Harold frustratedly wonders as he looks through his clothes. It takes a few more minutes until he finds something else, but despite that, he seems more positive than pessimistic.
"Oh yes, it's your time to shine!" Harold cheerfully declares while holding up a red speedo.
(With the Screaming Gophers)
"Could you repeat me once again what happened?" Heather asks, not believing what she just heard from Cody, seeing the flambe completely charred.
"I don't know how it happened. One moment it was baking properly, and suddenly the oven caught fire inside" the geek clarifies, much to the frustration of the Queen Bee.
"And how do I know you didn't mess things up?" she accuses him, and Gwen steps in to help Cody.
"I was with him the whole time, Heather. I really don't know what's been happening lately, but even you must know we've been having some bad luck." The goth girl's words make Heather reluctantly accept it.
"Then we need to hurry with a second attempt. We're running short on time, so we'll make a smaller one" Heather instructs, opens the oven door, turns it on, and adjusts the flame. However, it didn't work. She tried two more times, but it didn't light up.
"What the heck?" Heather asks, peeking inside and turning it on one last time, which worked. However, she had to quickly move away because a large flame shot out, almost burning her head. Unfortunately, it did reach part of her hair, much to her horror and the team's concern.
"Oh no" mumbles Cody.
"Get down and roll!" Gwen instructs her quickly, which Heather does immediately and quite alarmed. But it seems the fire is growing.
"Owen, water! I'll get the extinguisher!" Naruto exclaims, rushing to get one nearby, but unfortunately, for some reason, it doesn't work.
"No water comes out!" Owen indicates, causing more distress for everyone.
"I'll go get help!" Beth announces immediately to bring anyone close by. However, as she leaves, the fire extinguisher finally works, showering Heather completely, but unfortunately, it also drenches the fruit.
"Stop, stop, the fire is already out!" Cody clarifies so everyone can see Heather.
"What happened? How bad it is?!" Heather asks, distressed, and the others try to comfort her a bit. She might be quite a pain, but they won't leave her like this.
"Truth be told, you got lucky. Only your hair got burnt, Gwen replies, trying to calm her, but it seems to have tensed Heather.
"C-c-can I see?" she asks, trembling a bit, and Lindsay gives her a mirror she had with her. Looking at herself, she sees that indeed nothing serious happened, but her hair now reaches just below the shoulder, with the ends quite charred. This was enough to make her let out a terrified scream that echoed across the island.
"What's going on?!" a concerned Chris asks as he enters the Gophers' kitchen. That scream did not bring him much confidence. Bad idea since, upon seeing him, Heather gives him a look that makes the host swallow a bit and take a step back in fear.
"YOOOOUUUUUUU!" was all the Queen Bee said, then went to attack him. She might have succeeded if it weren't for Naruto tackling her in time, and Owen helping to keep her still.
(Later)
"No, there's nothing wrong happening in the kitchen here," announces an inspector who spent a couple of hours examining every corner of the Gophers' kitchen. Everything was in place, in order, and in quality.
"Yeah right" Heather murmurs dangerously while Eva, Naruto, and Owen keep her restrained to prevent her from attacking Chris again.
"So why do bad things keep happening to us?" Lindsay asks, not understanding, and to prove her point, Beth had to pull her close to see a piece of wood fall shortly afterward where she was standing.
"I don't know, but now that I can confirm that it's your problem, I'll let you go back to the challenge. I'll give you an extra three hours, but you better hurry. We're losing time" Chris indicates, at the other end of the main hall, as far away from Heather as possible.
"I hope nothing else happens today" Bridgette wishes a bit more relaxed, unaware that Gwen facepalms. Why do people like to tempt Murphy's Law?
"Hey, why is everyone so serious?" Harold asks, just arriving, and to everyone's disgust, he's wearing the red speedo he had kept among his clothes for some reason.
"Oh, my ...!" Lindsay squeaks terrified while covering her eyes in a combination of embarrassment and disgust.
"EEEK!" Katie squeaks too, covering her eyes with Cody at the same time.
"Oh man, we didn't plan for this" Geoff murmurs, covering his gaze with his hat, while Bridgette stands behind him to cover her eyes.
"Great, now the image is engraved in my head, new traumas for the future" Gwen clarifies with an expressionless look.
"My eyes, MY EYES!" Naruto 'suffers' as he rubs his eyes from what he just saw.
"Kill me" Heather seems to have had enough with her life.
"Cover yourself, you perverted piece of crap!" Eva roars, embarrassed and annoyed, throwing the nearest thing she has at hand, which, this time, is a bottle of oil that hits the nerd on the head, knocking him to the ground. Unfortunately, the oil spilled over him, creating an image that is better left undescribed.
"Cut, CUT!" a desperate and disgusted Chris instructs the cameramen, while Chef covers Harold with a blanket just before cutting the image immediately.
(We are experiencing technical difficulties, please wait)
A cartoonish image of a bear chasing Owen holding a honey jar, accompanied by a catchy song appeared. After a couple of minutes, the episode's image returns to the audience.
(With the Killer Bass)
"You better tone down the intensity of your lesson, understood?" Courtney declares, shuddering a bit after what happened a few moments ago.
"Yes, ma'am" the guys muttered like scolded children while continuing to cook under the annoyed gaze of their female teammates.
"Understood?" Eva reaffirms the question while effortlessly breaking a wooden ladle with her hand to indicate what would happen if they didn't comply.
"YES, MA'AM!" the guys immediately squeaked, trying to avoid her wrath.
(Confession)
"Well, it wasn't what we had planned" DJ admits while scratching his head, feeling a bit embarrassed by what they indirectly caused.
*Static*
"And thanks to that, we have millions of traumatized viewers from what just happened," Chris explains, annoyed, while putting his phone down, indicating he just finished a call, he'll be lucky if he doesn't get sued.
(With the Killer Bass)
After things calm down in the team, Harold arrives wearing shorts that Chris gave him. It wasn't as bad as his speedo, but he still makes some uncomfortable faces.
"Don't you have something else dude?" Duncan tries his luck a bit.
"It's all I have left. If you want to see me naked ..." the nerd begins, but his teammates blanched at the thought of that and just shook that image away.
"Then don't leave your clothes everywhere bro" DJ indicates the nerd who wants to save his image in front of the girls and the rest of Canada.
"I told you it wasn't me!" Harold shouts only to get deadpan looks from his roommates.
"Fine, just go back to our room. You'll find your underwear and pants there" Geoff advises.
"Fine" with that, the nerd goes back while the other guys hold back their laughter. However, a smack from Eva makes them start working immediately.
(With the Screaming Gophers)
"Alright, the ribs are coming along nicely, and the sauce is ready. Meanwhile, the flambe is being baked correctly so far," Heather explains as she surveys what they have. Only the appetizers are left, but Owen hasn't returned with the new fruits yet, as the previous ones were ruined by the fire extinguisher.
"Here I am with the fruits" Owen announces, holding a box of them, and throws it to a distracted Naruto, who gets knocked out when it hits his head.
(Confession)
Heather can only facepalm at what just happened.
(With the Screaming Gophers)
"Lindsay, Beth, hurry up with the fruits. Owen, go for my bag. I need to fix my hair" Heather orders, causing confusion for Owen. Before he could say anything, Heather gives him a look that says 'obey or suffer', making Owen shut up immediately.
"Now!" she orders, and the boy goes.
(Confession)
"Heather can be quite scary sometimes," admits Owen, who, for some reason, has several stings.
(Bass' Cabin - with Harold)
Harold has just returned to the cabin, finding clean pants and underwear to his liking.
"Good" the boy changes his underwear, not noticing the orange stain on them. At this moment, the screen splits in two, showing Duncan playing with a bottle of habanero sauce with a smile. After the nerd puts on his underwear, he starts feeling a tremendous burning sensation in his crotch.
"My biscuits are on fire!" he screams in pain, running to the dock and jumping into the water to end his momentary misery.
"Idiots!" curses the boy, knowing who was behind this. Now he needs a new change of clothes.
(Gophers' Cabin - with Owen)
The boy was leaving his cabin with the bag of Heather's makeup accessories calmly, but when he went down the steps, they broke, causing him to accidentally throw the bag under a beehive while trying to regain balance.
"Oh, come on" he complains as he gets a bit splintered, going for the bag. Still, when he arrives, the beehive ends up falling directly onto his head, and let's say that what happened next wasn't very nice.
"OH, CRAAAAP!" he shouts as he gets stung mercilessly.
(With the Killer Bass)
"Any reason you're coming in your pajamas?" DJ asks Harold, only to be ignored as the nerd continues with his part of the dish. He's had enough with those three.
"Just stop throwing your dirty laundry all over the cabin, and we'll stop, dude" Duncan tells him, finishing the dessert with Courtney.
"I told you it wasn't me!" the boy shouts, annoyed.
"Well, I tried" the punk shrugs while continuing with his dish.
"Hey, I made some sandwiches. Anyone wants one?" Geoff asks with the mentioned appetizer that looks good.
"Sweet" Harold is encouraged to take one. Chef's terrible menu made him take one without noticing Geoff's smile.
Upon tasting the sandwich, the nerd can't help but grimace as it tastes awful. "It tastes bad, like it has sweat and lotion" he clarifies before swallowing. He then opens the sandwich to see what's inside, horrified to find one of his dirty underwear, causing laughter among the guys but disgust among the girls.
"Ewww" Katie is disgusted while continuing with her salad.
"We'll give you back your clothes when you learn your lesson, dude" Geoff clarifies while Harold lowers his gaze in defeat.
(Screaming Gophers)
"What happened to you, Owen?" Beth asks alarmed, seeing the boy completely swollen from the bee stings.
"The horror" was all he could say before falling to the ground. Still, taking advantage of the moment, Heather takes her bag to fix her hair.
"I'll take him to the infirmary. Are you okay with that?" Naruto asks Heather, who has no problem. They managed to get everything ready before the indicated time.
"I'll go with you, dude" Cody offers, to the delight of the Japanese guy. It's a perfect opportunity to have him as an alliance partner.
"Sure, the more, the merrier" Naruto thanks as both help Owen walk away.
"Alright, with those three out to do their thing, we need to put everything in order. I trust you can set up the Hawaiian theme correctly?" Heather asks, cutting off the burnt parts of her hair.
"No problem," Beth assures, and she, along with Gwen and Lindsay, goes to prepare everything, while the queen bee takes care of what they've prepared, unaware that raccoons are eyeing the feast in the Gophers' kitchen.
(Main Hall)
"Your dishes will be ready soon, sir" Beth tells Chris, placing the cursed Tiki on the table.
"Don't worry about waiting. Just ask for the dish, and we'll bring it to you, dude ... I mean, sir" Geoff tries to speak as cordially as possible while lighting some candles on Chris's right.
"Very well. Since you won the previous challenge, I'll start with the Bass. Alright, what's on the menu?" Chris asks as Eva and Katie present their dish.
(With Naruto and Cody)
"Do you really think that's happening, dude?" Cody asks as they walk back to the main hall.
"It could be quite true, to be honest. And now that I think about it, isn't it too weird that Lindsay and Beth obey almost everything that the Dweeb asks them?" Naruto asks, noticing everything that's happening on his team. He also appreciates that the geek is finding out just now, it means he's not on Heather's side.
"I guess you're right," Cody realizes upon thinking about it, and that makes him tense, he can be the next one to go and he wants to spend more time with Katie. He likes the girl a lot, and the last picnic was very enjoyable. "What do you have planned?" the geek finally asks, and Naruto tells him the plan. He just hopes Cody accepts.
"Gwen and I just formed an alliance and we are looking for more allies. Do you wanna join in?" the Japanese guy makes the offer to the surprise of the geek. He had a slight idea that Naruto wanted him to help, but already having an alliance means he has to be more careful with each step he takes. However, that makes Cody think of someone else.
"I'll accept with one condition, but I suppose Gwen should be there for me to tell you" Cody clarifies, making Naruto frown. He just hoped it was something simple.
"Alright, but would you be willing to vote with us in the next elimination? At least that way, you won't be at risk of going home" the Japanese guy proposes as a sign of good faith to show that he's ready to support him and keep him on the island as long as they stay together.
"Deal" the geek accepts without any problems. He has to think carefully and quickly, there are fewer people left, and he has to form important bonds if he wants to stay in the game, something he hasn't thought about so strategically until now. Although he didn't have much time to do so since they were already close to the main lodge.
"Just meet us in the woods after the challenge. We'll talk better there," Naruto finishes the conversation as both enter through their kitchen, only to find Heather fighting against raccoons while protecting the dessert.
"What the hell is going on?!" Naruto asks alarmed to see that.
"Don't just stand there. Help me!" the queen bee orders, kicking another raccoon, and the other two immediately accept to take or kick other raccoons out of the kitchen, although the animals keep coming in to try to eat the dessert.
(With Chris and the others)
"I must admit, the dishes are quite good," Chris admits while eating the Gopher's ribs. "The meat is a bit tough, but it's acceptable. I'll give it a 6, so the Killer Bass are in the lead with a total of 15 points against 13" the host announces.
"Alright, bring out the dessert" he says, and the Killer Bass team hands him a piece of tiramisu made by Courtney and Duncan.
"Acceptable presentation" the host analyzes as he looks at it from different angles, then takes a spoonful to taste its texture.
"Adequate texture" the host admits. Everything seems fine so far, and now he takes a bite, much to the concern of the two Killer Bass members. Duncan even puts his hand on Courtney's shoulder to calm her anxiety.
"And a lot of sugar. I would reduce it significantly. I've eaten several tiramisus before, so I know what I'm talking about. I'll give it six points," the host clarifies, causing slight consternation among the team.
"Alright, this brings the Killer Bass to a total of 21 points. Gophers, you need at least an 8 to win" the host declares, causing some concern among those present. It's a pretty high score they need to achieve.
"Bring out the dessert, please" the host requests, and the girls signal Heather. However, she doesn't appear. Lindsay goes to see what's happening, but before she could enter, a scratched Cody comes out holding the flambe on his right arm and keeping two raccoons away from him as best as he can.
They struggle for a few seconds until Naruto and Heather, equally scratched as the geek, come out of the kitchen and rush to grab the raccoons. However, more than anything, they caused Cody to lose balance and fall, though not without throwing the dish onto the table. For once, it seems they got lucky as it landed in front of Chris, albeit with a mess in the process.
"Alright, that was weird" admits the host, while the guys finally manage to get the raccoons out of the main lodge.
"The presentation isn't the best" he announces, causing concern for the Gophers. Now the host uses his spoon to take a piece, but it's somewhat softer than usual, mainly due to the fall a few seconds ago.
"The texture is quite soft" the host admits, finally tasting it, and to everyone's slight surprise, he takes two more spoonfuls.
"But I can't deny that the flavor is very awesome, the best dessert I've tasted," Chris compliments. There is hope for the Gophers, but it wouldn't last long.
"But great taste is not enough. Giving it the overall score, I'll give it a 5. That means with a score of 21 to 18, the Killer Bass takes the victory" Chris announces for the celebration of the winner team. Curious enough, Duncan and Courtney, and Geoff and Bridgette embrace in celebration, but realizing what they did, the punk and the polite girl separate and try to pretend that nothing happened. Although this was mostly on Courtney's part since Duncan was quite distracted celebrating the victory.
"And as promised, your reward is a 5-star buffet dinner under the stars" he clarifies, making the celebrations even more lively.
"So close!" Heather complains. They were really close to winning if it weren't for something strange always happening.
"Well, there will always be a next time" Beth tries to cheer up her team.
"But not for someone after tonight, Beth," Gwen clarifies with a flat look. She just hopes that Naruto was able to convince Cody to take care of each other for the rest of the show.
"Oh, I don't think I've seen this before" meanwhile, Lindsay was looking at the cursed Tiki. "It's kinda old, I don't think it's very popular" the bombshell admits, catching Beth's attention.
"Well, I found it lying on that island, so I guess it got somewhat affected after being tossed for some time" Beth clarifies, much to Gwen's consternation as she heard that.
"Wait a minute! Where did you say you got it from?!" the goth girl asks, alarmed, getting everyone's attention.
"From the other island, you know, the one from canoe challenge" Beth clarifies, making the Gophers widen their eyes, understanding the cause of their bad luck this past week.
"GET OVER HERE, YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Heather roars, ready to go attack her. Still, Naruto tackles her in time again, but her anger is quickly overpowering him in strength, so Eva and even the Chef had to intervene.
"Goddamit Dweeb, control your— ahh, watch out for those arms" the guy complains when he receives an elbow blow.
"Wha - what's going on?" Beth asks fearfully, becoming the target of her alliance leader's anger.
"YOU TOOK THE TIKI FROM THE BONEY ISLAND?!" Chris asks, totally alarmed. "FROM THE ISLAND WHERE I SPECIFICALLY WARNED YOU NOT TO TAKE ANYTHING OR YOU'LL BE CURSED?!" he asks Beth specifically, making her open her eyes for hearing this for the first time.
"I didn't know, seriously, I'll take it back!" the girl promises, heading straight to the beach.
(Forest)
"What's your condition, Cody?" Gwen asks, who is with Naruto, sporting a black eye. undoubtedly the result of the elbow blow he received from Heather.
"I have someone on the other team that I would like to join us or at least be protected if you can manage it" he proposes to them. He knows it's risky, but he can't help but try.
At this condition, both founders of the alliance cannot help but look at each other. It would be difficult, so they have to handle this cautiously.
"Look, there wouldn't be a problem if she joined if it weren't for the fact that this person is on the other team. They might get suspicious and then leave us exposed. How about we keep an eye on this person?" Gwen suggests.
"I think I can accept that," Cody clarifies, bringing relief to the goth girl and Naruto, the latter noticing that the sun is starting to set.
"Darn it, the sunset," the guy remembers, taking Gwen's hand to her slight surprise and delight, lifting her off her seat. Still, the Japanese guy can't help but look at Cody. "Hey man, don't you want to watch the sunset with us?" he asks, much to the horror of the goth girl. She doesn't want anyone to ruin their alone time, but the geek, recalling his conversation with Leshawna, had other plans.
"Sorry, dude, but I made plans with Owen" the guy replies, and Gwen sighs in relief.
"Well, maybe next time" Naruto just continues to lead Gwen by the hand to get a good view of the sunset, although the goth girl turns to look at the geek and is surprised when he gives a thumbs up.
'Does he know?' Gwen wonders in her head, but whatever; at this moment, she's going to make the most out of her alone time with Naruto.
(Campfire pit)
"Wow, lost three times in a row, you guys really have a bad streak, Gophers" Chris mocks a bit, but he tenses up when he sees Heather's gaze. It's better not to bother her for the rest of the day, and maybe even longer.
"All right, everyone has voted, so if you hear your name, you're safe. Gwen, Owen" Chris announces as he tosses marshmallows to the named ones.
"Naruto" the boy is relieved as he catches the marshmallow with his right hand.
"Lindsay and Heather" Lindsay receives her marshmallow on her lap, while the queen bee catches hers with both hands, leaving Cody and Beth as the last two.
"One of you will be going home tonight," Chris informs them as both look nervous. "And the final marshmallow goes to..."
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Beth was crossing her fingers, hoping for luck to stay.
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Cody gives some slight glimpse to the rest of his possible ex teammates, an it looks that his new allies were right, he could see that Owen and Lindsay were pretty chill, it really seems that Heather has them under an alliance.
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"Cody," the host announces as he throws the last marshmallow to the geek, who is saved for the second time in a row, much to his complete relief. Meanwhile, Beth doesn't seem to be having the best moments.
"What? But I..." the girl tries to speak, but she is interrupted by Heather.
"Mistakes sometimes cost too much, Beth" the queen bee comments in such a decisive and calm manner that it's chilling. Although these words can be interpreted as Beth messing up by condemning the team with the Tiki, it's more about almost burning Heather and making her lose a large part of her precious hair, which she had to tie into a low ponytail reaching her shoulders.
"I-I understand," Beth says sadly, and she heads to the dock with a Chef who already has her luggage prepared on the Boat of Losers.
"That's it for today, and I recommend burning some sap to remove the effects of the curse," Chris advises.
"Will Chef even give us anything?" Gwen asks, but the host's smile gives a clear answer, no.
(Confession)
"Was it a bad idea to kick out a member of my alliance? Necessary sacrifices. What good can bring a minion who can condemn the team at any moment?" Heather responds with a snort.
"Beth can be easily replaced. I'll look for someone manipulable enough on the other team, but I have to use a different approach since that rat, Harold, would most likely warn them about me. So, I'll have to be fair and not treat the new member like a lackey" the queen bee admits as she plots her new plan.
"Despite that, I still have Owen and Lindsay. Maybe I'll start by trying to convince Cody to join me to eliminate the weird goth girl, and then I'll recruit someone from the other team," Heather begins to scheme her new plan.
*Static*
"Things are getting more and more complicated" Gwen admits while trying to figure out what to do next.
"We might have dealt a blow to Heather by eliminating Beth in case she really has an alliance, but we're tied on both sides, so I have no idea what will happen the next time we lose" the goth girl tries to think about what to do next.
"I think I'll take Cody's condition and try to secretly recruit the person he wants to protect in the Bass" Gwen fully accepts Cody's condition.
(Dock of Shame)
"Well, well, curious things are happening lately. The Gophers found the cause of their recent losses, Gwen, Naruto, and Cody formed the second official alliance on the island. I'd be lying if I said I'm not interested" Chris admits as he contemplates what might happen.
"We also can't forget previous cases like romances and friendships. Will Cody be able to confess to Katie? Will Courtney be honest with herself about her feelings for Duncan? Will Geoff keep making advances with Bridgette? And will Gwen continue making advances with Naruto? There are so many things that can happen, and I want all of you at home to witness it," Chris invites everyone watching to see what unfolds.
"I'm Chris, and I'll see you next time on TOTAL... DRAMA... ISLAND!" the host announces.
End of the chapter.
Campers:
Screaming Gophers: Cody, Gwen, Heather, Lindsay, Naruto, Owen.
Killer Bass: Bridgette, Courtney, DJ, Duncan, Eva, Geoff, Harold, Katie.
Eliminated: Justin, Noah, Sadie, Trent, Tyler, Izzy, Leshawna, Beth.
Yep, as you read just some moments ago, we now have a second alliance being Gwen, Naruto and Cody, the ones that'll try to figure out how to keep themselves together while dealing with Heather.
Talking about the queen bee, it seems her hair is destined to suffer on the island, it became a cannon event, but well, she also seems to be planning what to do next, will she succeed in finding another alliance member or not?, What do you think?
And well, that's it for now from the not so much of a reader now.
I will be reading the reviews, accepting constructive criticism and interesting ideas.
Until next time.
(In cameras post-credits scenes)
(Forest - night)
"What do you want to talk about, Cody?" Katie asks as the two take a walk through the forest.
"Kat, right now, things are happening... and I'm not sure if I can get out of this without being eliminated from the island" the geek admits, prompting his friend to open her eyes upon hearing that.
"What?" was all she could ask, quite concerned, so Cody sighs.
"Just promise me you won't tell anyone unless it's necessary" the boy asks, grateful that Gwen and Naruto allow him to do this. Once he receives an affirmative nod, the geek begins to explain everything.
(Screaming Gophers' Cabin - night)
"Hey, Dweeb" Heather heard from her annoying teammate as she returned to her cabin. Just as she was about to turn and start another argument with him, she sees Naruto with his hand showing a small burn cream container, and a look she never thought he would give her, a concerned look.
"But what is...?" she tries to ask, somewhat surprised, but the Japanese guy continues.
"I'm not so cruel as to not give a second look at your burns" he mentions in a soft voice, surprising her completely, just how the hell did he …? But she quickly caught up, when he stopped her from attacking Beth. "But if you tell anyone that I cared about you, I'll deny it completely" he clarifies, handing her the container and then leaving without giving her a chance to say more.
Remaining still, still surprised by that act of kindness, watching him leave in silence, Heather turns her gaze to the jar and can't help but think about the slight burning sensation on her back. She hadn't told anyone due to her pride, but that guy noticed her condition and helped her. Without further ado, she just puts the container in her pocket and heads to the communal bathrooms to apply the cream, but even so, it really caught her off guard.
(Killer Bass' Cabin - midnight)
Harold was sleeping peacefully in his bed, aso peacefully that he didn't feel his bunk being carried and taken outside.
(Dock of Shame - morning)
Harold was waking up due to the sun's rays, getting up and yawning as he stretched without a care. However, he noticed disgusted yelps, and when he looked closely, he could see he was on the dock with all the girls swimming on the beach in their swimsuits, looking disgusted as they saw him. The guy was naked because he hadn't recovered his clothes yet, although people at home will receive the censored version. He covered himself with his pillow as best he could.
On the other hand, his teammates, that were rowing in a canoe, were laughing at what they did.
"Did you learn the lesson?" Duncan asks to confirm.
"Yes, I learned it!" the embarrassed nerd shouts.
"And what did you learn, dude?" Geoff wanted to add more to his misery.
"I won't leave my dirty underwear lying around again!" the guy admits, not caring about the disgusted looks from the Gopher girls, as it's the first time they hear this.
"I believe him" DJ admits, tossing him a bag with all his returned clothes, and the nerd goes back to his cabin, covering his parts as best he can while the guys still laugh.