Author's Note: Welcome back, y'all! I'm so excited to start the second half of this season, and I hope you're looking forward to reading it. Also, I'm glad the reception for the Tenko/Junko ship was (mostly) positive! I had a lot of fun writing for that ship.

And, um. I kinda gave up halfway through editing this chapter, so if the second half of this episode is not up to quality, that's why. That being said, feel free to point out any mistakes you see!

And here are the usual reviews to answer:

Yue Best Waifu: Fair enough.

Dunsparce519: Thank you! And, yeah, I know it's a controversial ship, so I don't blame you for your opinion.

That's all! I hope you enjoy!


"Last time on Total Drama Island, Rantaro and Sayaka took to the skies, but neither quite landed as planned. Makoto tested his luck with a particularly angry moose, while both Leon and Tenko hilariously wiped out in the ski challenge when Leon got cut loose, and a tree branch decided to say hi to Tenko. And, when it was time to cast the votes, it was, unsurprisingly, Tenko who ended up getting the boot."

The camera cut to a close-up of Chris standing at the docks, as usual. "And now, let's see what's in store for our campers on...

Total…

Drama…

Island!"


Episode Thirteen: Brunch of Disgustingness


The episode opened at the hotel restaurant, where Chris and Chef stood at the entrance. They were snickering to themselves, which caused Leon to raise an eyebrow at them when he walked in.

"Uh, is there no breakfast today?" the redhead asked.

"Oh, don't worry, bro," Chris assured through his snickers, "there will be plenty of food later on."

Both Chris and Chef then burst into another fit of giggles. Leon rolled his eyes at this and just went to take a seat. Several more campers walked in after him, shooting the two men weird looks at their laughing as well. Once they were all seated, Chris stopped chuckling to direct his attention to them.

"Congratulations to you all for making it to the halfway point in the competition," he congratulated. "You'll all be on jury for the final episode."

The campers all cheered and celebrated at this news, with Celestia saying, "It is about time."

"The two teams will become one next week," Chris continued. "But as for this week's challenge, it's a challenge as old as history itself: a Battle of the Sexes! After we finish setting it up, we'll announce the rules. And then, you'll have a, uh, bite to eat…"

He and Chef snickered once again, to which the campers responded with confused stares. Chris had calmed down enough again to continue speaking:

"Ready for a little good news? This week, no one will be kicked off!" Chris smiled as the campers broke into another round of cheers. "It's all for reward, and it's a good one. Alright. Give us a bit to finish setting up and meet us back here in thirty minutes."

The chuckling between Chris and Chef never stopped, even after the campers had filed out of the restaurant.


The footage showed the outside of the restaurant, where Kaede and Kaito were walking out of the building alongside the other campers. The two accidentally locked eyes, and Kaito gestured for her to step off to the side with him, and she obliged.

"Just wanted to say," he began, putting a hand on his neck, "it was nice being on the same team as you, working together and stuff, y'know?"

Kaede grinned shyly. "Yeah, I'm glad we got to know each other as much as we did."

A light blush spread across Kaito's cheeks. "Yeah, same here."

Kaede's face turned a shade of pink as well, and the two shared a laugh before rejoining the rest of the contestants. As soon as they did, though, Junko came up from behind and snaked an arm around Kaede's shoulder. She did the same with Maki, who was walking in front of them, pulling the two a considerable distance in front of the other campers before either of them could say anything.

"What are you doing?" an apprehensive Maki asked.

Junko didn't respond at first, instead turning her head back to catch Sayaka and Celestia, who were walking together. "Hey, Sayaka! Celes! Over here!"

The two former Bass girls shared a glance, but ultimately joined Junko and the former Gopher girls.

"So," Junko started, "since we're gonna be working together for this next challenge, I thought we should use this time to get to know each other better."

"You know what? You're right, Junko," Kaede agreed. "It'd be nice to get to know you all in general, anyways."

"Well, in that case, may I suggest that we do a little nail and skin care? It would be relaxing, and I can tell that we would benefit greatly from it—some of us more than others."

Celestia's eyes flickered over to Maki as she suggested that. Maki, however, noticed it immediately and crossed her arms. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hm?" Celestia turned to Maki, seemingly surprised that the brunette had caught her jab. "Oh, I didn't mean to offend you. I just think you should invest some time into a skincare routine. Your pores will thank you."

"Celestia—" Junko started, only to get cut off by Maki.

Maki glared at Celestia. "My skin is fine, thank you. And, for your information, you should be the one looking into a skincare routine. Considering how pale your skin is, I'm surprised your skin hasn't broken out yet."

The other girls gasped, while Celestia glared at Maki right back. She suddenly lunged at the brunette, forcing Junko and Sayaka to jump in and restrain her. Meanwhile, Kaede jumped in between Maki and Celestia, spreading her arms way out to keep them apart.

"Hey, let's all calm down." Kaede turned to Maki first. "Maki, I'm sure Celestia didn't mean her comment in a mean way," —she then turned to Celestia— "and Celestia, maybe Maki interpreted your comment in a way that you didn't intend. So, I think we should just be mindful of how people might react to certain things, right?"

A beat passed, and Celestia finally relaxed; Sayaka and Junko let her go. She dusted off her dress and looked over at Maki, clearing her throat.

"I apologize, Maki. I think we got off on the wrong foot. May I suggest a truce?"

Maki stared at the other girl for a long moment. Finally, she let her arms hang to her side and sighed. "Fine."

Kaede grinned, letting her own arms drop. "Good. I think we're gonna get along just fine."


CONFESSIONAL - LEON:

He crossed his arms and scowled. "Yeah, there's no way in hell I'm gonna let Junko have the upper hand." Leon then flashed a grin and tapped his forehead. "So I have to be one step ahead of her."


The next scene showed Leon and the rest of the boys walking in a vague group.

"So," the redhead spoke, getting the boys' attention, "how do you guys feel about music?"

To that, the boys responded with confused looks.


CONFESSIONAL - LEON:

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "It's still a work in progress."


Back in the restaurant, all of the tables had been pushed together in the center of the room to create two large tables; the girls sat at the table closer to the entrances, while the boys sat at the table closest to the kitchen.

"It's time for today's challenge!" Chris announced grandly.

"Are we finally gonna get something to eat now?" Junko asked.

Chris and Chef snickered to each other once again at her question, earning annoyed looks from the rest of the campers.

"I guess we should tell them," Chris told Chef, turning to the campers again. "Today's challenge is… the Brunch of Disgustingness! You'll be getting a nine-course meal. Each member of each team must finish each dish. You will not know if the next dish is grosser than the last, not as gross, or just as gross. Just, that it will likely be, gross."

"Tell them what they'll get if they win, Chris!" Chef prompted jovially.

"The winning team," Chris obliged, "spends two days at a local five-star resort, where they'll be pampered, eat gourmet nosh, and be given antibiotics against anything they may have caught while participating in this challenge. The losing team will go hungry tonight, and spend the next two days here, on Total Drama Island. With Chef."

Chef waved at the contestants, a creepy grin on his face.

Junko shuddered, then turned to her teammates. "We have to win this challenge."


CONFESSIONAL - CELESTIA:

She opened her confessional with a sigh. "I have been dreading a challenge such as this. Eating... "less than quality" foods are not exactly my forte."


Junko looked over at the boys' table, shooting them a cocky grin. "Well, boys," she said, "I hope you like the taste of defeat, 'cause that's all that's gonna be left after this is over."

"Yeah, well," Leon countered, "I had to play baseball for thirteen years, so I can handle a food challenge."

"Let's begin the challenge!" Chris exclaimed as plates with covers were placed in front of each camper by Chef. "First, some hor d'oeuvres."

The covers were lifted, and the first course was revealed; a pile of small, thick grey sausages. Leon picked up one and pinched it between his fingers. "What are these, some kinda meatballs?" he asked.

"Technically, you're right, Leon," Chris said, "but these are kinda special."

"It's beef testicle bourguignon!" Chef told the campers. The camera then quick-panned over to a farm to show a bull whimpering in pain as it cowered on the ground.

"Testicles?!" Leon didn't hesitate to fling the testicle across the room, letting out a yelp as he did so. The rest of the boys stared at their plates with similarly disgusted expressions, as did the girls.

Makoto and Kaito were the first ones to lift the testicles to their mouths; however, both of them ended up chickening out, with the latter saying, "Jesus Christ..."

Leon was the next to try the testicle and succeeded in biting it. As soon as he did however, a single tear shed from his eye.

"It's the hardest thing a man can do," Chris commented sadly.


CONFESSIONAL - JUNKO:

She laughed. "Well, this is gonna be even easier than I thought."


Junko was casually popping the testicles into her mouth like they were potato chips. "Hey," she exclaimed loudly, "These aren't half-bad! It's almost unbelieva-bull!" She chuckled at her own pun, ignoring the looks the other girls were giving her.


CONFESSIONAL - JUNKO:

"Okay, this is really embarrassing to admit, but I've actually eaten my fair share of gross things before," she admitted. "Mostly because my sister forced me to. But that means I've got a challenge like this in the bag."


"Well," Sayaka sighed, "I really want that pedicure, so I guess I'll just have to suck it up." She raised one of the testicles on her plate to her mouth and took a small bite. Maki and a reluctant Celestia followed.

The boys grimaced and looked down at their plates again.

Rantaro was the first one to steel his nerves. "Alright, come on, guys," he told his teammates, "Yeah, it's pretty gross, but it could be worse. These could be human testicles."

The other boys exchanged a series of looks, but tentatively began to eat.

"Kaede?" Junko looked over at the blonde, who hadn't touched her plate yet. "You okay?"

"No..." Kaede replied miserably.

Kaito, who was watching the scene, frowned.


CONFESSIONAL - KAITO:

"I dunno, guess I just felt bad," he admitted. "I had to help her."


Kaito took a seat next to his former teammate, much to the annoyance of most of the girls. Kaede, meanwhile, looked surprised, but not entirely pleased.

"It's not a big deal," he whispered, "just close your eyes and... uh, pretend it's a regular sausage!"

"Uh, yeah, you can keep it moving," Junko snapped at Kaito, "she doesn't need your help."


CONFESSIONAL: - KAEDE:

"Don't get me wrong," she sighed, "it was sweet of Kaito to help me, really. But I have to do things on my own if I want to be taken seriously."


Kaede sighed, but eventually began to eat.

Over at the guys' table, only Rantaro had eaten the majority of his plate. Makoto could barely lift the testicle to his mouth, while Leon spat a partially chewed piece out into a napkin.

"Well," Chris announced, glancing at the two teams, "it looks like the guys lost this round. The first round goes to the female campers!"

A scoreboard popped up in the top corners of the screen, the logos representing the traditional male and female bathroom logos; the girls' updated 1-0.

Leon glared at Kaito as he sat back down at the boys' table. "I hope you know that you were the reason we lost this round," he spat.

"Hey, it's my business who I talk to!" Kaito protested. "And it's not like you were eating anything."

"Neither were you," Leon shot back. "And neither was Kaede, until you went over there and talked to her."

Kaito threw his arms up in exasperation. "Seriously? It's not even a big deal! There's still—"

Both boys were cut off by a whistle by Chris. "Are we here to argue, or are we here to eat a series of revolting meals?!" he asked.

Kaito rubbed the back of his head, and Leon sighed. "Fine," the latter said.

"Yeah, okay," Kaito added.

The two boys shook hands, putting an end to their feud.


CONFESSIONAL - JUNKO:

"Wow," she started with wide eyes, "I can't believe the guys made up so fast. Us girls really need to take notes."


"The score now stands one for the girls and zero for the boys," Chris announced. "And now, the next course in the Brunch of Disgustingness..." He gestured to the side, and Chef wheeled in a cart with more covered plates. "Do you guys like pizza?"

"Huh, that doesn't sound too bad," Sayaka replied.

"What's on it?" a suspicious Ryoma asked.

"How do you feel about live grasshopper with tangy jellyfish sauce and live anchovies?" The cover was lifted, and just as Chris said, it was a pizza with jellyfish, grasshoppers, and anchovies as the toppings.

At the guys' table, Rantaro merely shrugged and accepted the plate Chef handed to him, while the rest of the boys understandably grimaced at their plates.

At the girls' table, Celestia grimaced as she examined her slice of pizza. "Okay, I draw the line at eating live food."

"Well, it's not like we have a choice," Kaede said, "at least, we want to win. She took a large bite out of her own slice and swallowed it. Flashing her best smile towards her teammates, she said, "Okay, who's next?"

Maki stared at her slice for a moment, then suddenly slammed her fist down on it, killing the insects, before eating it. Junko noticed this and followed suit.

Celestia, however, adamantly shook her head and pushed her plate away. "Nope. I refuse to eat."

"You know," Kaito said at the boys' table, swallowing a bite, "this isn't really that bad."

"Yeah," Rantaro agreed, "at least, once you get the squirmy bits down."

"I can't say I like the idea of eating live fish," Sayaka said at the girls' table, "but we're this far into it, so no going back now!" She closed her eyes and took a bite.

Meanwhile, Makoto and Ryoma were also eating for their team. The latter had rolled up his slice so that the toppings were somewhat hidden from view before he ate it, and after seeing Ryoma's success, Makoto mimicked it.

"Good idea," Makoto complimented. A smile tugged at Ryoma's lips.

"You're the only one left," Rantaro said, looking over at Leon, who had yet to touch his plate.

In a similar situation, Celestia had not touched her pizza either.

Maki crossed her arms at the raven-haired girl. "Well, are you gonna eat it," she asked, "or am I gonna have to make you eat it?"

Celestia didn't answer, causing Maki to narrow her eyes. She grabbed the slice of pizza and made a dive at the former, causing her to duck and run away.

"Quick, grab him!" Makoto cried after seeing the commotion from the girls' side.

"H-Hey, let's not do anything we might regret now..." Leon raised his hands, backing away from Kaito and Rantaro. When he tried to make a run for it, the two boys managed to grab his arms.

"Ryoma! The pizza!" Makoto instructed.

Swiftly, Ryoma rolled up the final slice of pizza and stuffed into Leon's mouth. He chewed the pizza slowly and once he swallowed, he was let go.

"Sorry about that, Leon, " a sheepish Makoto apologized, "but now's really not the time for weak stomachs."


CONFESSIONAL - LEON:

"It wasn't that bad," he said. "I was just playing it up for the cameras, you know? I don't really mind beef testicles… or live grasshopper pizza…" Leon's composure quickly broke, and he darted out of the confessional, presumably to throw up.


"How are ya feeling, man?" Kaito asked Leon, who looked like his soul had left his body.

"I..." was all he could get out before he promptly slumped over on the table with a groan. The rest of the boys stared on in concern.

"Well then," Chris announced. "It looks like the winners this round are the guys!"

The scoreboard updated 1-1, causing Celestia, Maki, and the rest of the girls froze in their tracks once they realized what happened. Maki scowled and threw the slice of pizza on the floor, Celestia sat back down, while the other three girls shared concerned looks. Meanwhile, the boys cheered whooped and cheered with one another.

"Thank fucking god," a muffled Leon said.


CONFESSIONAL - CHEF:

"I was excited about the next dish," he said, "I made it from scratch." He began to scratch his lower back as the confessional ended.


"Alright!" Chris exclaimed. "Who's ready for the third course? Spaghetti!" The covers were lifted, and the next course was revealed. "Well, actually, earthworms covered in snail slime sauce and hairballs."

"I can't do this anymore..." Leon mumbled, not even bothering to lift his head.

Rantaro leveled the redhead with a look. "Want us to hold you down again?"

Leon suddenly shot up, his eyes wide. "No! No... I got this. Just… Just give me a minute."

At the girls' table, Maki raised a forkful of "spaghetti" to her face and sniffed it, grimacing in disgust. "I'm assuming you won't be eating this, either?" she asked Celestia.

Celestia averted her eyes off to the side.

Maki huffed. "Well, there's no point of any of us eating then if we're gonna lose anyway. But you'd better eat everything else, got it?"

"I... I will try my best to eat whatever is served," Celestia replied.

The boys, meanwhile, were wearing blindfolds and clothespins to help them eat their dishes.

"All done here!" Makoto called, raising his empty plate; the rest of the boys did the same.

"And once again, the winners are the guys!" Chris announced, and the scoreboard updated 1-2.

"Alright, girls," Junko told her team, "we gotta buckle down and win this thing, alright? No excuses!"

"Yeah!" Kaede agreed, pumping a fist. "Let's show them some girl power!"

"No nine-course meal would be complete without soup," Chris said as the next course was revealed. "Today's special is French bunion soup, with hangnail crackers." The bowls of "soup" were a sickly green color, and hair clippings, hairs, and a few other unidentifiable things floated in the mixture.


CONFESSIONAL - KAEDE:

"Oh, come on!" she complained. "They didn't even try with this dish! I bet you they just took whatever was lying in Chef's dirty bathroom!"


Sayaka and Junko caught each other's eyes.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Junko asked.

Sayaka nodded, a smirk growing on her face.

The footage then showed Junko tossing a plastic funnel to Sayaka, who caught it and handed it to Celestia. Celestia put the funnel in her mouth; Junko grabbed a bowl and poured it down the funnel, and Celestia consumed it without issue.

"What a smart idea," Celestia said. "I barely tasted it."

Junko and Sayaka shared a high-five at that.

"The girls win again!" Chris announced once all the girls finished their soup. "The score is now tied up at two!"


CONFESSIONAL - JUNKO:

"You know, I actually wouldn't mind working with these girls again," she admitted, a small smile on her face.


"Only five more courses left!" Chris then attempted to mimic a French accent as he exclaimed, "Bon appetite!"


A short montage began as the campers ate the next few courses. A tune began to play over it, reminiscent of similar songs from the 1980's.

You gotta eat! (Eat!)

Eat to win!

[Chef chewed for a moment, then pulled a wad of gum from his mouth. He stuck it to a larger, multi-colored ball of gum on a plate, then placed said plate in front of a disgusted Celestia.]

Don't let them gross you out,

Don't let them push you down,

[Chef, this time wearing a surgical mask and gloves, squeezed a skunk's tail so that its liquid dripped into a cocktail shaker. He shook it vigorously before pouring it into a fountain glass in front of Makoto. Makoto took a sip, and promptly gagged.]

Stand up tall and say you can!

[The next course had Chef using a caulking gun to draw a smiley face in silicone on a sandal. It was given to Sayaka, who gnawed at it for a second before trying to pull off a piece with her teeth.]

You gotta eat! (Eat!)

Eat to win!

Ooh, you gotta eat! (Eat!)

Eat to win!

[And, finally, Chef chopped up a half-rotten bell pepper as the boys watched with curiosity—until Chef withdrew the ladle from the pot he'd been stirring, revealing a rotten apple core, an old sock, and a fishtail. The boys drew back in disgust.]


When the montage ended, the camera showed the two team looking thoroughly drained of energy.

"And it looks like we're still tied 2-2. We're down to the last course in the challenge!" a jovial Chris exclaimed. The covers of the final course were lifted, and "hot dogs" on a bun. "It's… delicious… dolphin wieners! Hot dogs, made of dolphin!"

Sayaka gasped in horror. "Huh?! But dolphins are our friends!"

"Seriously?" an annoyed Maki asked. "It's already dead."

"I know, b-but..." Sayaka stared down at her wiener miserably.

"I honestly agree with Sayaka," Rantaro spoke up. "I'd rather not eat dolphin."


CONFESSIONAL - CHEF:

"I slave all day over a hot stove cooking dolphin," he grumbled, crossing his arms. "No appreciation."


"Okay, enough!" Chris said, clearly annoyed by the lack of eating. "We'll solve this by having an eat-off."

The footage skipped to show a tray of fifteen shot glasses arranged in neat rows sitting on a table. Kaito and Junko stood in front of it as Chris explained the challenge, "Whoever can drink the most shot glasses of fresh, delicious, blended cockroach will be the winner. This unlikely satisfying blend of eight different cockroaches is vitamin rich for your balanced lifestyle!"

Chef, who had mixed said cockroaches in a blender, poured the drink evenly into the shot glasses.

"On your mark," Chris said, "get set, go!"

Kaito and Junko picked up their first glasses and took the shot. Laying the glass upside down on the table, they wretched before taking another. This continued until they were almost done. The two were evenly matched, and they each had only one last shot to drink.

"Do... you know what the difference between us is?" Junko asked her opponent before they drank the next shot.

"What?" Kaito choked out.

"I didn't eat any worms today." Junko drank her last shot before slamming the glass down on the table. "I win!"

"And Junko is victorious!" Chris announced excitedly, and the scoreboard updated to show as much.

"Hey, Kaito?" Makoto told his groaning teammate, "You did your best. So don't feel about it, okay?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Kaito's stomach gurgled as he clutched his stomach. "I've already got feeling bad covered." Suddenly, he puked on the table, causing a chain reaction throughout the campers, who all threw up as well.

Chef watched this, already holding a mop in preparation, before raising a hand to his mouth. Chris, too, had to hold back his lunch, making a gesture to stop filming.


With the challenge now over, the footage showed the docks at sunset, where a giant yacht was situated in front of it as the girls made their way to it. "The girls are the big winners today..." Chris narrated.

"...And the guys go their separate ways." The camera showed the boys waving goodbye to each other before entering their cottages, barring a disheveled Leon, who went to throw up in the bushes. "Despite the day's hardships, they stand together—for now. What shocking surprises await our campers as they head into the big merge? Tune in next time on Total! Drama! Island!"


Contestants - Celestia, Junko, Kaede, Kaito, Leon, Maki, Makoto, Rantaro, Ryoma, Sayaka

Eliminated - Toko, Mondo, Shuichi, Ibuki, Kazuichi, Komaru, Kokichi, Hiyoko, Yasuhiro, Mikan, Kirumi, Tenko


Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this episode. Yeah, it's not a big deviance from canon, except for the girls winning, but I still hope you enjoyed the interactions nonetheless. And next episode, we have the merge.

And speaking of the merge, I'd like to know: Who are you rooting for going into the second round, and who do you think's coming back for the merge?

And that's it! Happy early Christmas! If you'd like, you can send me a special message through here: color my | 2023/01HHZEVFWDTH74DKKGABNHGK9S (remove line). As always, thank y'all so much for reading and supporting this story. See y'all next chapter!