The chapter opens with Addison in her office as she perches on her desk with her usual contented smile.
"Welcome back to Total Drama Academy!" She starts, "This is the second part of our special two part premiere! You should have watched part one but if you're joining us half way through I'll explain what's been happening don't worry."
"To start with, we met our wonderful eighteen new students, from the exuberant Delanie to the introverted Cassius; the huge Chester to the tiny Belinda, it's a real variety of characters that are sure to entertain. They and you, the viewers were introduced to the McCulloch Academy for Gifted Students and its many many amenities. My personal favorite is the elimination hall! So spacious!"
"Our teens were put into two teams: The Studious Squirrels and the Academic Ants and they are set to go head to head in the first of many challenges to decide who will be safe from the first elimination of the series. It's always so embarrassing to be sent home first isn't it?"
"To decide the team that is safe, we are going to be engaging in a good old fashioned all american game of Baseball! So stay tuned to see who comes out on top!"
"Will Shelby be able to talk her way through the bases?"
"Will Ben be able to run as well as he reads?"
"And who will be the first person eliminated? Find all of this out and more, tonight, on Total!-
Drama!-
Academy!"
(Begin Opening Credits)
Dear Mom and Dad I'm doing fine.
Our opening credits begin with Addison standing in front of the McCulloch Academy for Gifted Students, she smiles at the camera before ceremoniously throwing the large entrance doors open as the camera swings through the threshold and into the building
You guys are on my mind.
In the entrance hall Tracy and Misty have set up small magical acts opposite each other and each one is trying to be more extravagant than the last. Tracy pulls out a bouquet from her hat, Misty pulls out a rabbit, Tracy pulls out a cat, this continues on.
You asked me what I wanted to be.
The camera moves to the kitchen where Chef and David are currently working together to cook something for the campers, David attempts to add something to the pout but Chef swats his hand away with a scowl.
And now I think the answer is plain to see.
In the dining hall Delanie and Chester are attempting to open a can that has been placed on their table, the two strain before it pops off to reveal large fake snakes that burst out of it. The two scream and jump back as Belinda appears from under the table and cackles at the two of them.
I wanna be famous
In the boys bedroom, Minghao and Seamus are looking through their wardrobes, comparing outfits with each other and sharing fashion tips. Through the window we see Jolt sprint past as she runs around the Academy grounds.
I want to live close to the sun
On the school field, Rosie and Shelby are laying on the grass, the two of them are staring at the clouds and making comments on what they look like. The camera pans to a shaded area of the grounds where Cassius seems to be reading a book leaning against a large tree
So pack your bags cause I've already won
Claire and Clifford are in the elimination hall, the former seems to have a deep scowl while the latter shrugs his shoulders at her expression. This only makes Claire growl with frustration
Everything to prove nothing in my way-
Quentin has a large DJ booth set up and is currently playing a mix of music on it. Ben is stood nearby bobbing his head in time to the music with a smile on his face.
I'll get there one day-
The camera pans to the sun which soon changes to the moon, the camera then pans back down to stadium bleachers, Gianna and Evan are next to each other and are glaring at each other before the rest of the contestants join them.
Nananana Nananana
All eighteen students come together to sing as the interns engage in a football match.
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous
Chef, now dressed as a referee blows his whistle and stops the game which prompts boos from the contestants.
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be famous
They look around at each other and start laughing as they realize how ridiculous the situation is.
(End Opening Credits)
(The Baseball Field)
Returning where we left off, the two teams have been gathered at the baseball field to engage in the wonderful sport that is… well baseball. For those unfamiliar with the rules, don't worry, I can't pretend that this will go anything like a traditional baseball game. However, I do know that there are nine players on the field for each team, so that's a good thing!
We start with the Studious Squirrels, who have huddled in a circle to discuss their game plan. Both teams had been given jerseys to give them a sense of team spirit! And this team were given yellow ones to match their team color.
"So does anyone know anything about like sports?" Gianna asks, scratching her neck as the team ponders.
"I mean I play football…" Chester offers with a shrug,
"Anyone got anything better?" Tracy continues with a raised brow.
"How hard can it be?" Claire says with a scoff, "Hit the ball and run around as fast as possible. It's not rocket science."
"I think there's a bit more skill than that…" Minghao mytters, which got a small laugh out of Shelby, who was stood next to him.
"Either way, what do we have to decide?" Misty asks with a yawn as she looks at her wrist. "We're not getting any younger."
"I suppose we need to decide our positions?" Chester says as a producer hands him a sheet with the nine positions on the field handily marked out. "Yeah see like that." He says showing the team the diagram who spend some time studying it.
(Confessional)
Claire: My team clearly needs a strong leader to take charge and make sure that everything runs smoothly here. Chester might know more about sports but he knows nothing of leadership and management. We're doomed to fail if he continues to lead us.
Minghao: Yep I am just going to do exactly as I'm told without trying to rock the boat. I have not played a sport in a long long time.
(The Baseball Field)
We now turn to the Academic Ants who are in a similar situation, and have themselves chosen Delanie to lead them because she "So totally loves playing baseball." Of course if you have been following along, the team were given purple jerseys to match their own team color
"Okay so here's the deal! You have four players in the infield, that's the brown section there." Delanie points to the field, "And you have three outfields, that's outside the infield section by the way. You have a pitcher and a catcher too." Her team are listening intently as she explains this.
"Your three outfield players cover a lot of ground so they need to be fast and have a good throw. Volunteers?"
Jolt's hand immediately shoots up as the girl grins.
"Let me get in the outfield! I will outrun anyone!"
"Gotcha, you can be in the middle and control the outfield. Clifford, Seamus, I'm suggesting that you two be the other outfield players, you both look like you can run and throw." Delanie said as the boys shrug at her suggestion.
"No complaints from me." Clifford nods as does Seamus solidifying their positions.
"Oooh! Oooh! Let me pitch! I can throw suuuuper good." Belinda is practically jumping up and down as she asks.
"You sure?" Delanie asks with a raised eyebrow as Belinda nods again,
"Trust me." She giggles which the designated captain does, putting the prankster's name down as the pitcher.
"I'll take the position with the least physical activity." Cassius offers which makes Delanie shrug.
"You can be third base. Ben you can be shortstop with Rosie at second base, you two have to work together to get people out but that should be okay right?"
"We can do that!" Rosie grins, standing next to Ben.
"Okay Quinten, first base and catcher, I'll take whatever you don't want." Delanie offered to the DJ who took a second to consider.
"Let me play catcher, I'm a quick thinker, we'll do alright." The team nod as their positions are confirmed.
(Confessional)
Delanie: I actually spent about six months a couple of years ago playing baseball everyday to prepare me for an audition. I didn't get the part but I'm like super good at it now!
Belinda: That other team isn't going to know what hit them!
(The Baseball Field)
Addison and Chef, now dressed in umpire uniforms along with a couple of unnamed interns gathered the two teams on the pitch. The two captains, Chester and Delanie were called forward to determine the right of who bats and fields first.
"Okay, Chester, heads or tails?" Addison asks as she holds a coin.
"Heads." Chester says confidently as the host flips the coin. It spins in the air before landing in Addison's head. She reveals it and it does indeed land on heads.
"We'll field first." Chester smiles as Delanie nods in recognition.
"Okay then!" Addison grins, clapping her hands. "We're only playing five innings because I don't have all day! The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins immunity and sends the losing team to the elimination hall! Squirrels, take your field positions, Ants, line up to take to the diamond."
The squirrels lined up in their own field positions; Evan, David and Shelby took the outfield positions while Claire stood herself at first base. Tracy and Misty were second base and shortstop respectively and stood either side of second base. Gianna sat at third while Minghao stepped up to the pitching mound. Chester by default stood behind the diamond with a mask and pads on to protect himself from the ball.
"Okay batter up!" Chef shouted standing behind Chester to referee the pitches. The Ants first batter, captain Delanie stepped up to the plate with a vicious smirk as she balanced the bat over her shoulder with practiced calm.
"Give me your best shot." Delanie taunted as Minghao tossed the ball in the air a couple of times to get used to the weight.
"You've got it." Minghao replied flatly as he wound up his shot before launching the ball at Delanie. The girl watched it fly past her without moving.
"That's ball!" Chef called out as Minghao looked confused.
"No, that's a strike, she missed."
"The ball was thrown wider than the plate, that's a ball." Delanie corrected Minghao. "Try again though!"
"Okay fine." Minghao scoffed as he threw the ball again, this time more dead on target, what he didn't account for was the fact that Delanie knew what she was doing. The girl swung her bat and fired the ball into the outfield, towards the left where Evan was standing. The journalist began running to catch the ball while Delanie began to sprint around the bases. Praying that Evan doesn't catch the ball, the actress breezed past first and was on her way to second when Evan stopped moving and reached up to catch the ball.
It fell into his glove, only for it to bounce out and hit the ground. Delanie let out a holler in joy as she stopped herself at second as the ball flew to third base where Gianna caught it, keeping Delanie in place.
"And a double for Delanie!" Addison announced, taking the role of a commentator as an electronic billboard flashed up to show the score. A small diagram of the bases was on display with the second base lit up to signify that someone was standing there.
"With someone on second and no outs, second batter step up!" Chef shouted as Quinten stepped up to the plate with a small smile, he waved to Minghao before settling into his stance as Minghao glared at him.
"Let's have a good game." Quinten said with a thumbs as Minghao wound up to throw again. The pitcher let the ball fly and Quinten took a swing but missed the ball.
"That's a strike!" Chef announced as Quinten grunted in slight annoyance but quickly regained his composure as Chester threw the ball back to Minghao to continue. Minghao, wordless winds up and throws again, the result is much the same as Quinten swings and misses.
"Strike!" Chef called, "One more and you are out!"
"Right yeah okay." Quinten psyched himself up to hit the last ball as Minghao seemed to relax slightly in his face.
"This isn't so hard." The pitcher breathed, the tension releasing in his shoulders too as he wound up to throw the ball once again past Quinten.
The ball flew through the air and Quinten did indeed swing. However, he watched in horror as the ball escaped his bat once again and flew directly into Chester's glove.
"Crap!" The batter complained as Chef called it.
"Strike three! You are out!" Quinten lowered his head as he walked off from the plate to cheers from the Squirrels fielding.
"Don't worry Quinten!" Delanie called from the pitch, "You'll do better next time!" He gave her a thumbs up as Jolt stepped up to the plate as the next batter.
"Don't worry I'm gonna hit it out of the park!" She exclaimed excitedly as she slapped her bat on the floor a few times to get herself hyped up.
"We're on a field!" Cassius snarled from the line of batters which earned him a glare from Jolt which made him shrink back slightly.
"Then I'm gonna hit it out of the field!" Jolt retorted as Minghao started to wind up his throw. He let it fly towards Jolt however her athletic experience helped her to hit the ball. It sailed through the air towards second base where Tracy and Misty were stood. Delanie cautiously started moving to third while Jolt began to sprint to first, and she was already halfway there before the two girls fielding could react.
"I've got it!" Tracy said happily as she stood under the ball, Misty was nearby with a bored expression as Tracy lifted her gloved hand up for the ball to fall into it. Except she completed misjudged the angle and the ball flew behind her… right into the hand of Misty who shrugged as she held the ball up.
"God dammit!" Jolt cursed as she realized she was out. Her words were drowned out though by the cheers of the Squirrels as Misty who gave a lazy smile to the team.
"All in a days work." She bowed as Tracy congratulated her.
"Haha good catch Misty." She said as Delanie slipped back to second and was safe because of the celebrating.
(Confessional)
Tracy: Misty did really good covering for my mistake there! Turns out it's hard to see when you're staring into the sun!
Jolt: I would have totally smoked that track if I hadn't been caught out! Just wait I'll show you next time!
(The Baseball Field)
"Ants have nearly finished their first inning with no points on the board. With two outs and one base full, it's going to be an uphill battle. But all it takes is one good hit." Addison commentates as Cassius steps up the bat.
"Oh we're going out…" Delanie muttered as the small boy held the bat with shaky arms.
"Just don't let it hit you in the face." Minghao smirked, taunting Cassius playfully as he pitched another ball. To the shock of just about no one, Cassius missed the ball.
"Strike one!" Chef called.
"Okay right no need to yell in my ear." Cassius groaned as Minghao caught the ball thrown back to him by Chester. The pitcher quickly rethrew and Cassius swung his bat again. Cassius hit the ball which shocked him as it rolled towards Claire at first base.
"Oh I hit it!" He said with wide eyes as Chef once again yelled behind him.
"Run boy!"
"Oh yeah." Cassius started running but he only got a few steps before Claire picked up the ball and stepped onto the first base plate, getting Cassius out and ending his teams turn at batting.
"Oooh with three outs, The Ants are done batting for now and must take their fielding positions. Chester's decision to bat second may pay its dividends now as the Squirrels could very easily create an unassailable lead." Addison continued to commentate as the teams dutifully switched. The Ants took their preestablished fielding positions with the very unimposing Belinda stepping up to the pitching mound with a wide grin.
(Confessional)
Cassius: Okay so I got out, but we do need to appreciate that I did in fact actually hit the ball, which is a feat all in of itself.
Ben: I'm glad Cassius got himself out so I didn't have to try and bat. My arms hurt just thinking about it.
(Back on the Baseball field)
"That's who their pitcher is?" Claire scoffed trying to hold back her laugh as her team lined up to bat.
"I wouldn't underestimate her." David laughed, "Big things come in small packages."
"Even a tiny butterfly can cause a hurricane, that's the butterfly effect." Shelby added which made Claire roll her eyes.
"Just make sure we get the runs so we can win this challenge."
"I don't remember who died and made you captain?" Evan butted in as Chester stepped up to the plate.
"Guys please stop fighting, we all want to win." He said, looking behind him as he stepped in front of Quinten who was now donning the protective gear, ready to catch the ball.
"Chester is right." Minghao echoed, "We're all a team here." The Squirrels descended into a tense truce, the tension still bubbling under the surface.
"Don't worry about the first half guys!" Delanie called from the field, "Brush it off and come back stronger!"
"You got it!" Belinda saluted as she threw a ball at Chester. The ball was pretty easily thrown and Chester, with his large physique, absolutely smashed it out of the field. It soared through the air, and as the outfielders, let by Jolt chased it down it was no use as it soared well out of the bounds of the pitch.
"Yay Chester!" Gianna shouted as the Ants captain smiled and waved to a pretend crowd as he walked around the pitch.
"And Chester scores a home run for the Ants! Their first ball and they get a point on the board." Addison excitedly commentated as Chester took himself back to the home plate as Claire stepped up to bat afterwards.
"This is going to be easy." She scoffed as Belinda seemed unphased by the situation. The prankster threw the ball and Claire swung and missed. "That was a warm up!" She then said as she gritted her teeth and gripped the bat even tighter.
"Haha this is fun!" Belinda said as she threw the ball again. The ball sailed slow and Claire grinned as she knew she was able to hit this one. That is until the ball quickly dropped to the ground as Claire swung over the ball.
"Ooooh Belinda with the splitter pitch! We have a talented pitcher on the field." Addison commentated once more as Claire growled in frustration as Belinda giggled and shrugged her shoulders.
"Oh is that what it's called?" She laughed as she prepared to throw another pitch. "I think I made this one up myself!" Belinda laughed again as she threw the ball, except no ball left her hand, she simply threw a handful of confetti in the air. Claire, still in her head about missing twice still proceeded to swing her bat.
"That's strike 3." Chef said, "You're OUT!"
"She didn't even throw the ball!" Claire protested which made the umpire shrug unapologetically.
"You swung over the plate, that's a strike." Chef looked uninterested. "Not my problem girlie."
"Ugh!" Claire grumbled before stomping off of the plate.
(Confessional)
David: Okay… I'll give it to Belinda, that was good. And seeing Claire get so angry was only ever so slightly funny. Just a little.
Clifford: I think if you made me place a bet on who would be our team's MVP… I would never ever have chosen Belinda, but really she just might be!
Belinda: (She is setting up a bucket that hangs just along the top line of the door so that when someone opens the confessional, they get drenched) Don't tell anyone!
Claire: (She opens the door and a bucket of water falls on her head) BELINDA! (A cackle can be heard in the distance)
(Back on the Baseball Field)
Now! I could describe every inning play by play but that would be entirely boring for all of us! So please accept this montage with highlights sprinkled in.
Belinda throws out the next two members of the Squirrels, those two being David and Tracy so the sides switch.
End of Inning 1 - Squirrels 1 - Ants 0
The second inning begins with Ben who was after Cassius. Ben seemed slightly scared of the ball and in turn was struck out by Minghao who looked rather pleased with himself as he dusted the baseball off on his jersey.
Rosie steps up next and looks equally nervous, however she manages to make good connections and manages to run to first base before getting out. Delanie gives her a big thumbs up which makes the girl grin too.
Clifford steps up and manages to also hit the ball into the outfield and hit first base, while Rosie manages to successfully get across to second. The diagram showing the bases now showed the first two lit up.
Seamus steps up to bat and manages to hit it high and far. However, Shelby in the outfield managed to catch the ball, much to her shock and the shock of her teammates who all cheered as David lifted her up in celebration. Seamus looked disappointed as Rosie and Clifford stayed in their positions.
Belinda stepped up to the plate, she lifted the helmet up so that she could see Minghao launch the ball at her. Having proved herself as a pitcher, she also seemed to be able to hit as she smashed the ball along the ground, it ran past Misty who got down to the ground a little too slowly. The outfield raced to catch it but the team was already running. Clifford got to second base while Belinda managed to stop on first. Rosie however, was feeling brave as she continued through third and ran for the home plate.
David collected the ball and tossed it to Chester who was at home plate ready to get Rosie out. The girl sprinted and slid into the home plate as Chester caught the ball. Chef watched before raising his hand.
"In!" He shouted, meaning Rosie had scored a point for her team which was met with huge cheers from everyone. The score on the board flashed 1-1
Delanie came back to bat now and slammed it into the outfield, it was not caught and Clifford was equally able to run home.
The Ants were stopped short however as Quinten was stopped at first base by a smirking Claire.
(Confessional)
Rosie: Did you see that? I managed to get a run! I scored a point for the team! Me!
Quinten: Two times up to bat and I get out both times… that is so totally embarrassing.
(The Montage)
With the scoreboard now 2-1 in favor of the Ants, the winning team takes back to the field with Belinda back on the mound ready to pitch some evil balls for the other team.
Gianna steps up to the plate and gets struck out. She pouts slightly as she walks off the plate to be replaced by Evan who seemed confident as he stepped up. He slapped the ball into the outfield and runs to second base.
Misty hits the ball but it doesn't go very far and she gets caught out at first base by Delanie.
Shelby turns up to the plate and manages to hit the ball far enough to get to first base, although Evan was unable to run to third.
Minghao steps up and hits the ball far enough for both Evan and Shelby to make it to home plate.
Chester gets caught out by Seamus, ending the second inning.
End of Second Inning: Squirrels 3 - Ants 2
(Confessional)
Shelby: Don't ask me how I managed to both catch someone out and then hit the ball to get on base. I don't know either and I highly doubt that I will ever be able to recreate that. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Minghao: I'll take it. I just really want to help the team out however I can, and bringing home two runs surely makes me look like a good teammate.
The next two innings flash by even faster, we see Jolt hit a huge ball that nearly gets out of the boundary, however her speed means she gets a run anyway. Minghao uses this to motivate him to get the next two batters out, being Cassius and Ben. Rosie is then caught out by Misty who shrugs as the teams switch.
Claire is immediately caught out once again however, David manages to strike the ball and send it out of the boundary and thus scores a run for his team. Tracy follows up with a successful hit, she ends up at first and looks rather proud of herself. Gianna steps up next and does the same as Tracy, the two girls now occupying second and first base.
Evan steps up and smacks the ball deep into the outfield again as the Ants are unable to catch it. Tracy and Gianna are both able to score runs, however Evan gets greedy and he is caught out on his way to third base, thus ending the 3rd inning
End of Third Inning Squirrels 6 - Ants 3
The fourth inning begins with Minghao back at the mound. Clifford steps up to the plate and manages to get himself onto first base with a decent hit. Seamus however hits the ball short and Minghao is able to throw the ball to Claire on first base who manages to throw it to Tracy on second. The successive throws catches both men out as Belinda returns to the plate. She is soon struck out by Minghao who takes joy in getting out the pitcher of the other team.
The teams swap and Belinda seems to take the strikeout personally. Misty steps up to the plate but gets caught off guard when Belinda throws a cloud of smoke to obscure her ball for longer. This caused Misty to be struckout. A similar fate befell Shelby who found herself on the wrong end of Belinda's splitter pitch.
Minghao managed to hit one of Belinda's tricky balls but the pitcher caught it as it flew in the air towards her. She smirked as the teams switched quickly. Thus the fourth inning ended with no changes to the score and the Squirrels taking a clear lead.
End of Fourth Inning Squirrels 6 - Ants 3
"And we enter our fifth and final inning with the Studious Squirrels possessing a clear lead." Addison commentated as the cheerful Squirrels took their positions on the field while the Ants lined up for their final round at the bats. "The batting order has been refreshed and Captain Delanie will be taking the first swing in this inning."
As Addison introduced her Delanie stepped up to the plate and swung her bat. She made a gesture of drawing her finger across her neck at Mingha which shocked the pitcher slightly, but not enough to throw him off his game as he threw a ball past Delanie.
"Strike!"
His next pitch was not so lucky though as Delanie made good contact and managed to run around to first base.
"That's right! We're on the comeback!" She cheered for her team as Quinten stepped up. "You can do it Quinten!"
"Yeah!" Quinten cheered as he prepared to hit the ball. Minghao threw the ball and Quinten for the first time during the game made good contact as the ball rolled along the floor past Tracy and towards David who sprinted towards the ball, however before he could throw it anywhere, Delanie and Quinten had moved to second and first base respectively.
"Time to bring it home!" Jolt cheered as she stepped up to the plate now. Minghao threw a ball and she missed. But on the second attempt Jolt managed to hit it once again along the ground, this allowed all three members of the team to occupy the bases as Cassius stepped up to bat.
"Okay Cassius! No pressure!" Delanie shouted from third base to the small boy who looked rather terrified.
"Even if you flop we still have two more batters!" Jolt tried to encourage the boy who didn't seem all that comforted.
"Just do your best!" Quinten shouted all the way from Second Base as Minghao prepared to pitch. He threw the ball right past Cassius who looked shocked.
"Wow that was fast…"
Cassius tried to swing on the second ball but missed it once again leaving him on two strikes. One more and he was out.
"Okay Cassius you can do this." He breathed to himself before shutting his eyes.
"What is he doing…" Claire whispered as Cassius kept his eyes closed. Minghao took the opportunity to pitch and catch Cassius off guard, however the small boy swung his bat.
CLANK!
The sound of metal on ball echoed around the stadium as Cassius opened his eyes. He and his teammates watched as the ball sailed through the air. Evan and David ran to catch it but it was no use as the ball sailed over the boundary.
"CASSIUS WITH A HOME RUN!" Addison commentated with the usual excited vigor of a sports commentator as Cassius, completely shocked by his own actions started to walk around the field. His home run meant that Delanie, Quinten and Jolt could all reach home plate too, thus scoring four runs for the Ants.
"Ants take the lead for the first time in this game!" Addison announced as Ben took to the plate. Unfortunately no one that followed could replicate that success as the next three batters, Ben, Rosie and Clifford were all caught out as the Squirrels had three more outs to change the game.
Belinda though was on a roll as she immediately struck out Chester who was getting a bit worked up and swung early every time. Claire faced a similar fate, unable to get a single hit on the ball during the game. David stepped up next and looked at Belinda who waved at him.
"Good luck!" She said as she threw a ball at the tall man. He missed the swing as the first strike was called.
"Yeah thanks." He grumbled as Belinda threw the second ball, this one dropped suddenly but David was expecting it. He managed to hit it, but the contact was not super strong as it sailed along the ground towards Ben. The boy looked shocked as he picked up the ball and panicked before realizing that he had to throw it to Delanie to catch David out.
The ball sailed through the air right into Delanie's hands at the same time that David slid into the base in an attempt to keep his team alive…
"Out." The intern umpire called as Delanie caught the ball milliseconds before David touched the base. The man let out a loud groan as the Ants devolved into wild cheering as they all ran together.
"Ugh that was awful!" Claire moaned as she tossed her helmet aside. "You were an awful pitcher," She complained to Minghao who looked slightly taken aback but recovered quickly
"You hardly did anything." Minghao retorted, "Complain at me when you contribute something meaningful."
End of Fifth Inning Squirrels 6 - Ants 7
(Confessional)
Cassius: I… I got the winning run! I scored a home run! In a sports challenge! Hey Mom! Dad! Did you see that?! I played baseball! And won!
Clifford: If you had asked me at the beginning of the match who our team MVP would be… I guarantee you that it would also not be Cassius… but here we are! With Cassius and Belinda as our MVPs. I guess some people just surprise you.
(The Baseball Field)
"With that amazing home run by Cassius and no answer from the Squirrels, the Ants have won the first immunity challenge!" Addison announced having now stopped commentating and rejoined the cast, now back in her normal red pantsuit as well. "That does mean that I will be seeing you Squirrels at the elimination hall tonight where you must vote out one of your teammates from the game. I'll leave you all to disperse and do what you need to do." With that Addison left the field, Chef and the interns followed as the Ants cheered loudly.
"Let's go Cassius!" Delanie cheered as she lifted Cassius up on her shoulders and took the boy back to the main building of the Academy with the rest of the Ants in tow. This left the Squirrels to awkwardly look at each other as the reality of their situation sunk in.
"Well that was embarrassing." Claire grumbled, "We were leading the entire time! And we let it go to waste."
"Yeah we were all there too." Gianna snarked back as she crossed her arms. "Well I'm going to go and have a shower because that got me all sweaty and gross and I cannot be dealing with that."
"Second that." Minghao said as he began walking back to the main building. "Not together though!" He said quickly.
"I need to go lay down." Chester sighed, the defeat clearly hitting him hard as he also walked to the main building. Soon enough the rest of the Squirrels dispersed from the field to go and plan their elimination ceremony.
(Confessional)
Chester: Well that was silly wasn't it! I mean I totally failed the team, but I suppose that's probably why I'm known as my football team's worst player too! Nothing I can do except brush it off and come back stronger next time.
Evan: I wasn't expecting to have to go to elimination so soon, I mean I've barely had any time to collect myself! It's too early to start making moves anyway, so here's hoping that someone has managed to annoy enough of the team to be an easy early boot.
(The Student Lounge)
As with all good boarding schools, this academy has various rooms that students can use to unwind after a long day of studying, or in this case after a long game of pure-hearted fun. Although judging by the look on David's face, he was feeling anything but jovial. Sat on the sofa with his head in his hands, he looked up when he heard the door open and in walked Tracy with a flat expression on her face.
"Hey Tracy" David said as the magician girl sat next to him on the sofa.
"Hey." She muttered, "That was rough." She admitted with a sigh which got a dry chuckle from David who stretched and let out a groan.
"Yeah you can say that again."
"We tried our best though right?" Tracy asked to which David nodded.
"Yeah there wasn't anything we could have done at the end there… sometimes sports is just a bit of luck." He absently scratched his face as he thought about it. "Although if we'd have been playing a better sport, like hockey, we so totally would have won."
"You play Hockey?" Tracy inquired, tilting her head slightly.
"Yeah every now and again." David continued, "Depends how busy I am at home."
"Yeah I get that." Tracy nodded, "Magic is kind of my life, what with my parents being the ones who taught me… so sometimes it feels like I don't have anything to fall back on."
"Oh really?"
"Yeah it's why I signed up, to create a personality for myself away from my family and their tricks."
"Oh I get that… this is definitely one way to do it." David smiles, his normally happy look returning to his face for the first time.
(Confessional)
Tracy: I kind of swore off the whole magic thing a while back because of… incidents so it's nice to be able to exist as my own person away from the whole Laidel family magician shtick. As long as I don't go home first because that embarrassment would be super tough!
David: Tracy seems nice. I think she tries hard, which is either a blessing or a curse depending on who you ask. She probably lacks a little confidence so I hope that the game helps get that out of her.
(The Dining Hall)
All nine members of the Academic Ants had taken themselves to the Dining Hall to enjoy a nice meal prepared by our resident Chef, Chef Hatchet. All nine of them had sat themselves at a long table with Cassius sitting at the head of it as the game's MVP.
"I didn't even know you could do something like that Cassius!" Quinten called excitedly as the small boy blushed from the attention.
"Honestly I didn't know I could do it either." He deflected as Rosie laughed but fixed him with a small stern look.
"Don't downplay your achievements Cassius, you should be super happy that you got the win. And now we can all enjoy another few days here." The romantic girl reminded him with a warm smile that was returned by Cassius.
"Let's just hope dinner tonight is good so we can celebrate properly." Jolt grinned rubbing her hands together as Chef opened up his dinner service. The Ants were shocked to see that the food actually looked edible. Tonight was clearly Pasta night as different shapes and sauces were all available for the contestants to eat.
"Wait but why does this actually look good?" Ben asked as the team got up to get their food.
"You think I earned the name Chef for nothing?" Chef Hatchet bellowed as he gave a plate to Cassius who was allowed to start the line due to his success.
"Well…" He started before a glare from Chef shut him up promptly.
"Chris never let me cook proper food! He wanted the contestants to suffer, but Addison is all about making sure you guys get fed proper meals that keep your energy up." The man explained as the contestants listened with pleased looks on their faces.
"I'm certainly not complaining." Clifford laughed as he loaded up some pasta and sauce on his plate while the others behind him followed. Soon all nine members were seated around the table and Seamus raised his glass.
"To Cassius! For saving our asses!" He toasted as all the others raised their glasses too.
"To Cassius!" They chorused together, much to the poindexter's embarrassment as he continued to blush from the embarrassment.
(Confessional)
Chef: Now you guys know! If any of you doubt my cooking ability again I will feed you to the sharks!
Ben: It was super cool to see Cassius be all sporty, I mean he's probably even nerdier than me, so if he can do it I don't see why I couldn't. If I wanted to, that is.
Clifford: Thankfully I have been allowed the comfort of winning the first challenge, that allows me more time to get to know my teammates, and work out which ones I want to work with moving forwards. I'd hate to lock myself into a hasty partnership that ends up biting me in the behind.
(The Girls Bathroom)
True to her word, Gianna was in the bathroom freshening up, she had finished her shower and was now looking at herself in the mirror as she brushed her still wet hair. She was soon joined by Claire who came in to brush her teeth.
"You seem to be someone who doesn't want to go home." Claire starts talking to Gianna who subtly gives Claire a side eye.
"Well yeah… duh. I don't like want to be the first boot." Gianna responded as Claire nodded happily.
"No, that's good, it means we can work together." The competitive girl continued, "We should get rid of Chester, I mean he's an absolutely massive threat, literally look at the size of him. And consider that he lost a sport challenge, something that he is supposedly gifted in? I'd hate to see how he does in a challenge that isn't in his wheelhouse." Claire pitched to Gianna who nodded as she spoke, taking in her words.
"But like why would we get rid of our strongest member? What if the next challenge is tug of war?" Gianna pondered.
"You heard Addison, this series is based on subjects at school, and we've just had our physical education challenge, which means that from here on out most of the subjects are probably going to be more academic. People like me are more useful, and people like Chester are going to end up as deadweight."
"Hmmm I like see your point." Gianna nodded as she finished brushing her hair, "I'll totally think about it." She said as she left the room to go elsewhere, leaving Claire to continue with her business.
(Confessional)
Claire: I pride myself on my charisma and ability to lead, coupled with my brain it is what makes me a powerhouse today. Gianna seems easily influenced, focused on relationships and building a network for herself. She's a good place to start.
Gianna: (She fakes gagging) God! Can you hear her? "People like me are way more useful." Girl get over yourself! Although she does make a slightly good point, I mean, I would never beat Chester at anything physical, like ever, and something tells me that Total Drama isn't going to be all pop quizzes from now on…
(The Boys Bedroom)
With the Ants enjoying their victory meal and with other members of the team elsewhere, it was only Chester, Evan and Minghao who occupied their bedroom. The three boys sat on their own beds so as not to disturb the things of others as they talked about their challenge.
"I guess that's just the way that sports go isn't it?" Chester laughed as Minghao and Evan gave him slightly odd looks.
"You're taking this better than I thought you would," Evan admitted as Chester shrugged.
"No use wallowing in your own self-pity about it. We lost and now we're going to pay the price by losing someone on our team." Chester shrugged.
"That's one way of looking at it." Minghao replied with a furrowed brow, "I'd rather it wasn't me who went though."
"You and me both." Evan chuckled, "I mean, I know who I would like to send home out of everyone."
"Oh really?" Chester asked with a surprised look, "You know already?"
"Well yeah. I wanna get rid of Claire, that girl was so annoying in the challenge, super unhelpful and just not that good to be around."
"I agree." Minghao echoed, nodding his head slightly as Chester thought about it.
"Huh, I didn't really notice her making that much of a difference."
"Yeah exactly." Minghao sighed, "Well I'm gonna grab some food, you coming?"
"I'm down for food." Chester said happily as he sprung up from his bed and followed Minghao out of the room.
"I'll catch you later. I've got something I gotta do first." Evan waved the two off while he stayed in the bedroom thinking.
(Confessional)
Minghao: I like a lot of the people on our team, I mean they're all pretty chill for the most part which I can get behind. Claire is the opposite of chill most of the time and that just really rubs me up the wrong way.
Evan: I've got suspicions… Chester seems way too happy to just lose like that. (Evan taps a finger to his chin) He claims to be a sportsman, but every sportsman that I know would never take a defeat that easily, they would be hurt about it for at least a couple of hours. He's hiding something, and I'm gonna find out what it is!
(The Girls' Bedroom)
Similarly to the boys, the girls' bedroom was occupied by only a couple of the Squirrel girls as the Ants were at their celebratory dinner. Misty and Shelby were currently in the room while Misty lazily shuffled cards and Shelby was reading a book.
"You wanna talk about the challenge?" Shelby asked Misty, looking up from her book at the magician.
"What is there to say?" Misty said as she flicked the cards. She walked over to Shelby and splayed out the deck. "PIck a card." Shelby seemed utterly uninterested in Misty's tricks but something about her made Shelby still pick a card.
"I mean we could talk about who to vote off." Shelby began but was cut off as Misty began to theatrically shuffle the deck while keeping a more neutral expression on her face.
"I'll probably just pick a random person." Misty shrugged as she held up a card to Shelby. "This your card?"
"No." Shelby responded with a bored tone as Misty looked vaguely shocked.
"Oh my bad. It's this one." Misty turned the page in Shelby's book to reveal another card. The widening of Shelby's eyes revealed that that was indeed her card.
"Wild." Shelby nodded as Misty trudged back to her own bed.
"I'll teach you how to do it if you pay me?" Misty offered, but Shelby was not that enamored as she laughed.
"Pass for me." Shelby put her book down and placed it under her pillow before getting up. "Anyway I'm gonna go find someone to discuss the vote. I'll see you at the ceremony."
"See ya." Misty waved as she watched Shelby leave.
(Confessional)
Shelby: I'm here to play the game. I like reality TV and I want to be able to say that I competed against the best and still won. Misty seems to not entirely care about the game, she's just more interested in showing her tricks, which she is doing way more half-heartedly than this morning anyway. I'm sure she has her reasons though.
Misty: No need to try hard anymore, I showed these guys what I'm capable of and now they're always intrigued when I start. And that's when they're comfortable. (She flashes a pack of gummy sweets) The producers didn't let us bring money on set so we didn't bribe each other but I was able to pinch Shelby's sweets, I think I'll enjoy those later.
(The Grounds)
David was wandering the grounds before he was approached by Claire, who appeared behind him suddenly and made him jump slightly.
"Oh sorry, I was just looking for you." Claire piped up as David raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"To talk about the vote of course." Claire laughed as she began to walk in step with the man.
"Right… What did you have in mind?"
"Well I just want you to hear me out here." Claire continued, "There's one person who failed our team today, and that was Chester."
"Chester?" David said deeply confused, "Are you okay? He scored and led us as best as he could."
"And his best was not good enough - do you not feel threatened that there's another strong guy on the team? If he stays around you're superfluous to the team's needs. We already have a big guy, we don't need two, let's just get rid of one." Claire argued with a smirk as David took a second.
"I mean, maybe you're right." David shrugged.
"Just think about it yeah? I mean you also were the person who got out and lost us the game…" Claire mentioned offhandedly as she walked away.
(Confessional)
Claire: I am doing rather well at this strategy thing everyone says is so hard. I'm going to get my first target out right here and now.
David: …Sorry I'm just composing myself so that I don't laugh. Because that may have been one of the worst pitches that I've heard in a while.
(Elimination Hall)
Addison stood behind her podium as the nine Squirrels gathered on the benches underneath her. Chef carried a tray of gold stars as he stood next to Addison who clapped her hands solemnly as she began the proceedings.
"Squirrels, I'm sorry to see you guys here so soon, but unfortunately you were outplayed in the challenge today. That means that one of you will be the first person eliminated from the show. When I call your name please take yourself into the voting booth where you will see report cards for your team - please write an F on the report card of the person that you wish to send home." She explained the rules as the contestants nodded their understanding.
"In that case, Shelby, start us off please." The philosopher stood up and took herself to the voting booth.
(Voting Confessional)
Shelby: I'm voting here in the spirit of team unity, it's important in the early days of competition to prioritize a cohesive team so that you don't lose as many challenges in the future, and reduce your risk of being sent home.
David: Yeah this one is pretty easy for me. Please don't consider a career in business moving forward.
Gianna: I'm voting for who I think is going to be the least amount of help in the challenges moving forwards.
(Elimination Hall)
"You've all seen Total Drama I'm sure! If I call your name you will receive a gold star from Chef! That means you're safe, if you don't receive a gold star then you're going home!" Our host explained as Chef prepared to throw his gold stars.
"Evan, Gianna and Shelby, you're all safe." The three gratefully caught their stars.
"Tracy, Misty, you two are all good." The two magician girls caught their stars too.
"David and Minghao, you two are also safe." The two caught their stars leaving only two people left.
"Chester and Claire, one of you will be the first person eliminated from the game and that person is…
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Claire." Addison said as Chester caught his gold star. "I'm sorry Claire, but that means this is the end of the road for you.
"Huh… well you're all making a mistake." She said as she stood up from her seat and began walking away.
"Oh no Claire, you have to go this way." Addison quickly sent Chef to corral the girl to the right place. "The rest of you are free to go back to whatever you were doing."
"Bye Claire, sorry it had to end this way." Chester said with a sorry look as the rest of the team walked out of the elimination hall. Claire was then led outside by Chef and Addison.
(Confessional)
Chester: I had quite a lot of people come up to me and say that Claire made them feel a little uncomfortable at the challenge as well as during the voting period, so I don't feel too bad about her going home.
(Outside of the Academy)
Claire stood outside with her arms folded as Addison stood beside her.
"Unfortunately you will now take the Bus of Shame outta here Claire, thank you for coming here." Addison smiled a a school bus showed up outside the school, Chef was behind the wheel and opened the door for Claire to get in.
"Yeah whatever." Claire said sourly, getting onto the bus with a scowl as Addison waved her off. Without a further word the doors shut and Chef drove off.
"Well there you have it dear viewers! Claire is the first contestant to bite the dust in this competition. Turns out her desire to lead proved her undoing as she only managed to annoy her teammates enough to get herself sent home." Addison delivered a closing monologue to the cameras.
"We've still got seventeen students on our books though, and that means there's still plenty of this game left to be played! Will the Ants continue to stay in control of the challenges? Or will the Squirrels manage to pull themselves together now that their biggest opponent to team unity is gone?"
"Will Cassius ever be as cool as he was today again?"
"Will Misty continue to steal other people's belongings?"
"And will Chef make even more delicious meals for our students?"
"Find all of this out and more next time on Total-!
Drama-!
Academy!"
Well there we go! Another chapter, and I managed to get this one out pretty fast. I've enjoyed building the relationships in the cast so far, and we still have a lot of time to watch them grow even more! Unfortunately Claire is our first boot of the show! Thank you to KiraYamamoto827 for allowing me to use her! Sorry that she was first but someone has to be!
Thank you to everyone who left a review as well! It means a lot to me and does motivate to write these a little faster lol. See you all in the next one!
Star
Cast:
Male (9/9 Remaining)
Benjamin (Ben) Mullins - Girlpower54
Clifford Anderson - Jade's One of a Kind
Chester Quill - The Feline Overlord
Minghao Cheng - Obsidian Paragon
Cassius Li - daedaluso
David Masters - AZW330
Seamus Jun - DarkForest66
Quinten Williams - Jessthedork
Evan Thorne - DaringDF1827
Female (8/9 Remaining)
Belinda Deval - Tech Star 2.0
Delanie Rios - Mr Ruff
Tracy Laidel - minjiuu
Misty Reus-Trinity - KadachiNova
Gianna Mulgan - Tempokeep
Shelby Evans - thedragonrooster
Jolt Roxas - Space Zodiac
Rosie Patterson - Spyrorocks389
Studious Squirrels: Chester; David; Evan; Gianna; Minghao; Misty; Shelby; Tracy
Academic Ants: Belinda; Ben; Cassius; Clifford; Delanie; Jolt; Quinten; Rosie; Seamus
Eliminated:
18th: Claire Baker - KiraYamato827