Total Mingled Action

by Cody Fanatic

(Sequel to Total Mingled Island)- After competing in Total Drama Island for one hundred thousand dollars, fourteen of the past competitors return to compete for one million dollars on an abandoned movie lot. Who will prevail and will the struggles of newfound fame affect the contestants? Find out on Total! Mingled! Action!

22. Topher Punch

The Riverian: Brick does have more reasons to come back as described in this chapter.

Boys: Brick, Ripper, Topher

Girls: Anne Maria, MK

Episode 22: Topher Punch

"Last time, on Total Drama Action! After a surprise returning contestant, the cast was given the chance to let loose. They rocked it, they socked it, and they trashed it like rock stars."

"It was MK who finally won invincibility for herself. Brick was quick to reunite with Jasmine and they planned to vote together. Sadly, it all backfired on them when MK, with the help of Ripper, stabbed Jasmine in the back, sending her packing."

The recap ended there, and flashed over to Brick sulking sadly on his bunk. "Will Brick survive without his true love?" Another flash took the focus to MK tampering with something underneath her blanket alone in the girls' trailer. "And will MK keep on dodging eliminations?" MK paused to give the camera a puzzled look.

"All this and more," Chris told the camera as the scene changed to the area in front of the trailers, "on another thrilling episode of, Total! Drama! Action!"

(Theme Song)

The episode opened on a shot of the inside of the girls' trailer. The door slammed open and Anne Maria fell and landed on her face. "I can't even believe the amount of energy the challenge had," she said as MK walked past her.

"I can't believe that I won invincibility," MK told her roommate. "Oh wait, I can believe that!"

"I also can't believe that you would betray your own ally," Anne Maria said, still on the floor.

Confessional: Anne Maria

"I voted for Jasmine as well, but there's a difference between me and MK," Anne Maria told the audience. "MK was in an alliance with Jasmine, and I wasn't a part of that. You won't see me betrayin' my alliance mates just to get ahead."

Confessional Ends

"If you were going to vote somebody, you could've voted for Ripper, your biggest enemy," Anne Maria explained as she got in her bunk.

"I like to keep my enemies closer, and Jasmine is no rival," MK responded as she claimed a bunk of her own. "I'm pretty sure you'd do the same."

"No I wouldn't," Anne Maria shook her head, "because unlike you, I like to get away from people that I can't stand."

"I can't stand you and yet you're still in the game," MK said. "That should speak volume to how much of a physical threat I see you."

"I got kicked off before you in the first season, but there's no way that I'm weaker than you," Anne Maria scoffed. "I have more social graces than you, and after voting off his almost girlfriend, I doubt that Brick would want anything to do with you."

Confessional: MK

"No way is that Jersey reject insulting my social skills," MK sniffed. "The popular girls at my school already do that enough. And Anne Maria cheesed off her teammates last season by trashing the cabin just because Scott stole her things."

MK took a deep breath. "I was going to face her in the finale, but I'm going to replace her with Topher if she keeps getting under my skin!"

Confessional Ends

The static cut to a shot of Brick snoring away in his top bunk. The camera panned left to show Ripper in his bottom bunk staring at the boy with a bored expression before listening to the sound of Topher muttering something in his sleep.

The camera panned up to show a blanket-covered-Topher twitching and muttering something before his eyes widened and he leaped out of bed with a scream, covered in snails. "Snails!" He glared as Ripper was heard laughing. "When are you going to stop being an imbecile?" he asked in frustration.

"When are you going to stop being a drama king?" Ripper replied plainly.

Confessional: Topher

"Would it kill Ripper to have some sort of compassion for anybody?" Topher confessed. "Granted, he does like Izzy, but she's not here anymore."

Confessional Ends

The static cut to a group of snails making their way out of the trailer. "How would you feel if somebody put snails into your bed?" Topher asked his roommate.

"I'd be mad and get back at that person with either a punch to the gut or a wet willie if I'm feeling nice," Ripper said.

"Like you're ever nice," Topher laughed. "You'd obviously punch their guts."

"You got that right, and if I wasn't feeling sleepy, I'd hurl this pillow at you," Ripper retorted. "Sweet dreams." The camera focused in on him as the lights went out and he closed his eyes, and the world around him seemed to fade into something brighter and greener.

He awoke with a start to the sound of a large gong. The shot pulled out rapidly, showing that he and the others were all lying in the middle of some woods – Topher and Brick to the right; Anne Maria and MK to the left.

"What's happening?" Topher shouted in alarm as he woke up.

"Where are we?" Brick added.

MK looked around suspiciously, sniffed the air, and held her nose. "This is the smell of Camp Wawanakwa!"

A strong gust of wind blew through the clearing the five were in, stirring up leaves and bringing with it the sound of a paixiao – a traditional Chinese pan flute-like instrument. A few pines rustled, and the camera panned down just as Chris seemingly floated out of them in lotus position, wearing a white martial arts uniform with a red belt around his waist and a headband emblazoned with a Japanese 'rising sun'.

"No way," Topher said in amazement as the host floated past them, oblivious to the wires leading up from his back. He stopped somewhere between Ripper and Topher, flipped himself into a one-handed handstand, did a few mid-air somersaults, landed on one knee to punch the air a few times, then stood up and bowed – all with his eyes closed.

A gong sounded again, and he opened his eyes and unhooked his harness with a small smile. It 'floated' back the way he'd come from, and Ripper frowned. "Nope, it's just wires."

"Honorable competitors," Chris announced, "welcome to the Total Drama Kung Fu reward challenge. Shot on location here, in the beautiful Japanese woods. Today, we pit girls against boys today." he told them.

"Not fair! The boys outnumber us three to two," Anne Maria pointed out.

"Gear down, Anne Maria," Chris said. "Only two of the boys are competing today, and it's up to them to decide."

"Don't even think about it," Brick told Topher before he could open his mouth. "You haven't been here for half the season."

"Sorry," Topher said irritably. "I don't do kung fu."

"Well you and me both haven't won invincibility, unlike Ripper," Brick turned to the boy and added. "No offense."

"None taken," Ripper said apathetically. "I don't wanna do the challenge today."

"And that's a majority vote," Chris announced.

Confessional: Ripper

"So as it turns out, I won't just be sitting around all challenge," Ripper told the audience. "Chris wants me to go around the teams and mess with them." He grinned in anticipation. "That's something I love to do with people; sabotage them!"

Confessional Ends

"In kung fu movies," Chris explained as he paced between the castmates, "actors train with stunt choreographers before they film their fight scenes. So, today, each team will have a trainer and a fighter. Pick your roles, and train as hard as you can in the kung fu style of your choice." He struck a pose, then adopted an extremely stereotypical east -Asian accent for his final remarks. "The battle begins when noble heron flies east."

"Umm, translation please?" MK demanded.

"Four hours," Chris answered bluntly as he hooked his harness back around his waist. "May the best fu win! Excelsior!" A reverb effect was added to his final word, shouted as he ascended into the sky.

The camera moved over to Brick and Topher. "I don't know about you, but I have some fighting skills from cadet school," Brick told Topher.

"Then you can be the fighter and I'll be the trainer," Topher compromised. "It works out."

Confessional: Topher

"Usually in fights, the opponents will have to bruise each other's faces," Topher told the camera. "Even if there is make-up to cover the bruises, there's no way I'm letting my gorgeous face get punched in today."

Confessional Ends

The scene cut to a close up of Anne Maria as she wiped a rag on the Lame-o-sine. "Let's go! Let's go," MK demanded as the camera panned out to show her lounging on the hood. "Work those pecs." In the bushes, Ripper was watching and writing something down on a clipboard.

Chris showed up and walked to the AV girl. "Can you make her wax my car too?" he asked.

"Sure thing," MK agreed. "Which one's yours?"

The camera pulled out to show an entire parking lot filled with expensive looking cars. "All of them!" Chris answered, and the host and contestant laughed.

"If I wouldn't get charged or kicked off the show, I'd pummel all those vehicles!" Anne Maria threatened.

The camera flashed to a close up of Brick, Topher, and a sleeping Chef. "Are you positive this is correct?" Brick asked his trainer.

Topher shrugged. "I think so. Wax on, wax off." The camera panned out to show Chef was shirtless and Brick was holding a spreading stick that had hair wax attached to it. He applied it to the cook's chest and pulled off the paper.

Chef unleashed a cry of pain and ran off howling. He passed a bush in the foreground, and a wincing Ripper popped out of it and wrote on his clipboard.

"Twenty-eight! Twenty-nine!" Topher called out as he looked over a somewhat disheveled Brick doing push-ups somewhere in the woods. "Come on, get moving! Don't give up!"

The camera pulled back to show MK and Anne Maria also training nearby. "Be the dragon!" MK told her as the tanned woman grit her teeth and kept pushing up. "Nimble and fast!"

As Anne Maria lowered herself down, MK stepped onto the girl's back. The Jersey girl grunted in annoyance but resumed anyways, and the techno girl shot a smirk over at Topher. It fell off immediately, however, when she saw him standing on Brick's back as well, and on top of a large rock to boot. The two trainers stared each other down, their fighters still grunting beneath them.

A few loons called as the scene cut to Anne Maria standing awkwardly on a post on one leg in the middle of the lake.

"Okay, you've already got good balance," MK told her as she rowed up in a canoe filled with dodgeballs.

"Why wouldn't I?" Anne Maria bragged. "I'm on the cheerleading squad."

"Now keep that pose and avoid these hits!" MK called out.

"What hits?" Anne Maria asked.

MK flashed a devious smile. "These!" She began to pelt the Jersey girl with the dodgeballs. Anne Maria, to her credit, managed to knock a few away from her before being overwhelmed and getting knocked off.

She surfaced from the water and glared at her trainer, who was laughing.

The camera flashed to Brick and Topher sitting next to a picnic table that had a cloche on it.

"What is the purpose of this exercise?" Brick asked.

"Simple," Topher said as he removed the cloche and revealed a plate of boiled eggs. "One by one, we're both gonna reach for an egg. If you beat me, you get to eat it."

"Isn't this usually done with a pebble?" Brick wondered.

"Yes, but I thought food would be a better motivator since we haven't eaten today," Topher explained.

Confessional: Topher

"I was originally going to use cookies, but I figured that wouldn't strengthen Brick up," Topher confessed. "Eggs are much more nutritious and have more protein, and it's not like Brick can be the only one to cook something."

Confessional Ends

The scene cut to Anne Maria as she punched a straw dummy that had been strapped to a tree. The camera zoomed out to show MK frowning.

"You're not being fierce enough," MK told her fighter.

Anne Maria's eye twitched a bit. "And what do you think I should do?"

MK groaned. "Keep punching it or better yet, kick it! You can even bust out some cheerleader moves!"

Anne Maria blinked and looked at the dummy with renewed confidence. She took a breath, then seemed to walk away...only to suddenly turn around, charge forward, and handspring into a flying kick that snapped the scarecrow's back and sent its head flying off.

"Not bad!" MK told her with a smirk.

The camera cut to Ripper hiding in some nearby bushes, looking stunned as he wrote some more notes.

"Okay, give it all you got!" Topher instructed, standing behind a red punching bag.

"Yes sir," Brick said before punching the punching bag.

"You call that a punch? Harder, better, faster, stronger!" Topher commanded.

"Harder, better, faster, stronger!!" Brick punched the bag a few more times, and it had enough force to slam the bag into Topher and knock him clear off his feet.

"Impressive," Topher said with a smile.

The footage skipped ahead, flashing over to the top of a pagoda with the sun cresting behind some hills far in the background. A gong sounded, and some Chinese-sounding music played as the camera panned down, showing the two teams walking up to smaller buildings on either side of the main pagoda. The gong was off to the left, and in the middle was a wide flat area with nothing in it save a large object hidden behind an ornate paper divider.

A puff of pink smoke went off in front of the mystery object, and Chris emerged from it playing a paixiao. He tossed it away after a few notes, then turned around and addressed the camera. "Most worthy competitors!" he began. "Welcome to the Total Drama Kung Fu Showdown!"

The scene immediately cut away to the tops of some pine trees as someone began 'jumping' across them. Zooming out and up the figure was revealed to be Chef Hatchet, now dressed as a rough approximation of an unarmored samurai. He did a few mid-air spins as he jumped from the trees to the roofs, then down to the ground slicing the paper divider a few times with his katana before leaping away. The cuts inexplicably set on fire, and the divider quickly burned away to reveal a pair of large robotic exosuits – one red, the other blue.

The gong sounded, and the castmates gasped. "See, the fighters go in the robot suits," Chris explained, "and the trainers operate 'em with these here joysticks!" He whipped out a pair of old-school video game joysticks from behind his back to show the teams.

"So what was the point of training them if they aren't even gonna do the fighting?" MK asked in disbelief.

"It's a lesson in zen, oh young one," Chris explained happily before throwing the joysticks to MK and Topher as though he were performing a martial arts maneuver. "Two minutes till the match begins! Suit up, fighters!"

He vanished in another puff of pink smoke.

"Are you sure you know how to work this thing?" Brick asked, now strapped into the blue suit.

"Absolutely," Topher replied. "It's like a video game."

The camera quick-panned to show Anne Maria, now strapped in the red suit, and MK. The latter was testing controls, and Anne Maria was forced to hit herself in the face. "Arms work!" MK called. She was then forced to kick herself in the face. "Legs work too!"

Just then, Chris reappeared in yet another puff of pink smoke. "Enough practice!" he said as the gong rang. "When the taikomochi sounds the gong, the match will begin."

He looked over to the gong, where Ripper stood by in full taikomochi garb including makeup and wig. Holding a folded-up paper fan in one hand and a gong mallet in the other, he looked content with his role.

"Quick question," MK said, raising her hand. "Why is he a taikomochi when they're Japanese. Kung fu movies originated in Hong Kong."

"Like I care about that," Ripper huffed. "I don't want to be a geisha."

"Can we get on with the show?" Chris asked irately. "Preferably before you guys cause any more lawsuits."

Ripper shrugged, then made his way over to Anne Maria and MK. "Brick has a superpowered punch that can go through trees," he told them. "Watch out for that."

"The guy is a cadet," Anne Maria muttered. "He's probably done a lot of weight lifting."

"Thanks for the heads up, Ripper," MK said.

"I just thought I'd help out the outnumbered gender!" Ripper said. The camera panned over to the guys, who were watching in confusion.

"What's going on over there?" Topher asked his partner.

"You could try and ask him," Brick suggested. "He is coming this way." The camera pulled back to show that Ripper was making his way over to the guys, albeit with a bit of stumbling.

"Hey, I got some dirt for you guys," Ripper whispered.

"I do not want to cheat," Brick declared.

"It's not cheating if I helped the girls too," Ripper pointed out.

"Why help both of us?" Topher asked.

"So I don't have to keep following Anne Maria," Ripper explained. "I saw her kick a tree in half just because she was ticked off. Beware of that."

Confessional: Ripper

"I lied about the details a bit just to keep both teams on their guard," Ripper confessed. "I want to watch a rock 'em sock 'em fight, not a hug fest."

Confessional Ends

The footage cut back to Chris standing in a meditative pose as Ripper walked up to him and cleared his throat.

"So, which team got the inside track?" Chris asked in a hushed tone with a sideways glance towards him.

"Both of them," Ripper answered plainly.

"Wait, you fed both teams information?" Chris repeated in disbelief. "You were supposed to sabotage one of them to make things more interesting!"

"I like to make things unfair for everybody equally, not just one!" Ripper retorted.

Chris grunted in irritation. "Fine! Whatever! Just hit the gong already, okay?"

Ripper huffed, walked over to the gong, and struck it with his mallet. The sound reverberated through the air, shaking both the taikomochi and the host. "Let the match begin!" Chris announced, his voice wobbling.

Topher and MK were each shown moving their joysticks, and the suited-up fighters approached each other.

Brick stuck first, kicking Anne Maria in the leg.

"My bad," Brick said.

"Oh yeah?" MK moved her joystick to make Anne Maria slap Brick.

"You should've dodged!" Anne Maria said.

Topher moved his joystick to have Anne Maria punched in the belly.

"Forget about leg cramps. My stomach isn't looking good," Anne Maria groaned.

Soon, a montage of the fighters hitting each other in various body parts played.

Afterwards, Anne Maria kicked Brick in the crotch. "Why did I forget my cup!" he groaned.

Topher narrowed his eyes. "You wanna play?" he asked dangerously. "Let's play." The screen changed into letterbox format as he pushed his joystick forward, and Brick flew towards his opponent.

MK frantically moved her joystick, but that caused it to break. "Uh oh!"

"If I'm gonna die today, make it quick!" Anne Maria braced herself.

The footage showed various parts of the red suit fly past the camera before Anne Maria landed on her back with a pained grunt.

Chris ducked into the shot. "That's gotta hurt," he winced, looking back at Anne Maria. "Think she's still alive? Come on back and find out." The host looked away. "Medic!"

(Commercial Break)

The episode faded back in to a shot of Ripper and MK looking down at something from above. "Come on, wake up!" MK pleaded as the viewpoint inverted to show Anne Maria still lying on the ground where she'd landed.

"Huh?" Anne Maria said groggily as she opened her eyes and sat up. "What happened?" she asked.

"And the winners are," Chris announced as victorious music began to play, "the boys!"

The shot pulled back to show the winning team – Brick still in the battlesuit – standing nearby with grins on their faces.

"Oh yes," Topher cheered.

"This cannot be real," MK grumbled. "I'm good with electronics, especially hacking them."

"Umm, can someone let me out now?" Brick spoke up to ask.

Without warning, Chef leapt out from off-camera and sliced the front off the suit with his sword, and seconds later, the front half of the suit was lying on the ground.

Confessional: Brick

"For a brief second, I thought he was going to kill me," Brick confessed. "After all, I did stand up to him when I chose to leave the game. Awkward times."

Confessional Ends

The line-up was now MK, Anne Maria, Chris, taikomochi Ripper, Brick, Topher, and Samurai Chef. "The guys have won the first challenge," the host explained, "and they'll be continuing on to compete for the reward. Girls," he turned to the losing team, "you're gone. Here's where things get interesting."

"By which you mean painful," Topher corrected.

"Correction," Chris told him with a grin, "exciting means painful. 'Interesting' always means life-threatening."

"Yes!" MK laughed viciously.

"Each of you must carry a glass of water to the top of the tallest mountain in Japan, Mt. Banshee." Chris explained, holding up a glass of water. The camera quick-panned to a shot of Camp Wawanakwa's thousand-foot-high cliff, then zoomed in to show a potted bonsai tree sitting on a rock.

"There you'll find a bonsai tree guarded by a mysterious kung fu master." The shot panned to a cave on the left, where the Sasquatchankwa sat cross-legged dressed as a certain thunder-wielding character from a popular fighting-game franchise. In front of him was a campfire, where a tea kettle hung on a stick. "Try not to spill any water on your way up," Chris warned as the shot zoomed in on the kettle and crackling flame. "You'll need it to brew kung fu tea as payment for the bonsai."

"And if there isn't enough tea to fill the master's sacred cup," the host continued as the shot moved back to him, "you'll wish you were wearing a sacred cup." He dumped out the glass and let it fall with a tinkling crash, and the two boys gasped with concern to their own groins. "First guy to bring the bonsai back down the mountain alive, wins. Oh, and since this is the second part of the challenge, Ripper gets to compete for the reward too! As for our losers," he turned back to the girls, "you're sentenced to zen lessons." The two shared a confused look. "AKA, kitchen duty!"

The two looked at each other as Chef approached. "March two three four!" he ordered, poking Anne Maria with his sword. "March two three four!" He repeated the gesture with MK, and herded the two teens off-camera. "Let's go! Ease up!"

The scene flashed over to the foot of the hill where the boys had their heads turned skywards and their water glasses in hand.

"Is it me or is this thing taller than before?" Brick mused.

"It's not just you," Topher replied.

"We might as well just get this over with," Brick said.

The three guys began a wordless climb. Topher grabbed for a small outcropping, but slipped and almost fell.

"How am I supposed to win if I'm lugging around water," Topher complained.

"I've had to carry recruits over my shoulder while doing obstacle courses. This is no problem," Brick commented as he passed him.

The camera quick-panned back down to Ripper, who was idly examining the platform shoes of his taikomochi outfit. "How am I going to climb with these on?" he muttered to herself. "They're almost as useless as my little brother."

The scene flashed to the kitchen of the film lot's dining tent, where MK was washing dishes with her back to the camera. She grunted in annoyance, then said "It should be the guys doing this, not us. And they would have if you were able to dodge." She glared over at Anne Maria, who was wiping a glass nearby.

Anne Maria pursed her lips. "You were the one with the remote. I had absolutely no control," she replied.

Just then, Chef Hatchet dropped a large pot filled with cooking knives on a small table behind the Jersey girl, instantly gaining the attention of both losers. "Shut your traps and grab a blade," he told them as he walked past.

"What?" Anne Maria asked in alarm.

"Yeah," MK added as she picked up a butcher's knife and looked it over, "I'm not really the knife-fighting type. Not that I'd lose to an orange painted girl."

"Excuse me!" Anne Maria said indignantly, stepping forward and grabbing a knife of her own. "Don't be pickin' a fight you know you can't win, shrimp."

"Y'all are gonna use those blades to cook a meal fit for a warrior," Chef explained as he returned pushing a large tank of water on wheels. "Kung Fu Noodle Soup. Vegetable stock, noodles, and the seven deadliest species of fish known to man."

"You got your rabid piranha," a piranha jumped out of the water and snapped its jaws before slashing back down; "poisonous blowfish," a blowfish jumped up and briefly inflated itself; "electric eel," an eel bristling with electricity was the next to leap into the air; "toxic jellyfish," the purple blob merely surfaced, scooted an inch or so across the water, then dove back down; "lethal swordfish," the next fish was nearly as long as the tank itself and looked very menacing; "man-eating shark!" A shark that was somehow larger than the tank itself jumped up out of the water, and the camera cut outside to see it leap higher than the roof of the tent and roar before several pinkish tentacles shot out, grabbed it, and pulled it back in; "And killer octopus!" Chef finished with a chuckle as the tentacles reeled the shark back into the tank with a splash.

"Now, who's ready to start?" he asked the two with a serious expression. The shot panned over to the left where both teens were wide-eyed with terror.

The scene flashed to Ripper as he climbed up the side of the mountain in his costume and pulled himself up with one hand.

"Are you doing alright down there?" Topher called from above, the camera quick-panning up to him and Brick. The cadet also paused to look down, and the shot cut back to Ripper.

"I'm hanging on!" Ripper replied as he got a hold with his left, and another shortly after with his right. "So who are you guys thinking of voting for next elimination?"

"Either MK or you if it comes down to it," Topher answered. "You're obnoxious, and MK is the type to sacrifice anyone to wolves if she doesn't need them."

"I'm not connected to anybody here after Jasmine left," Brick said. "Who I vote for will be the ones who don't win invincibility."

"You two can go for anybody as long as it's not me," Ripper told the two boys. "The faster these eliminations go, the faster I can win the million dollars."

"We'll have to see about that, because I'll be the one to win today!" Topher boasted and moved up.

The scene cut back once more to the kitchen, the camera lingering on a close-up of the water tank before pulling back to show Anne Maria and MK lurking fearfully at its edge.

"Maybe the fish are less aggressive right now," MK suggested as she carefully plunged her knife into the tank. It stayed there for a second before something beneath the surface seemed to grab it and vigorously shake it. She let go and the weapon sunk into the tank. A moment later, a bubble surfaced and popped, sounding like a belch.

"Yeah, I doubt that," Anne Maria commented.

"Excuse me for trying to be optimistic," MK retorted.

"How about I handle these guys and you take the noodles?" Anne Maria suggested.

"I'm decent at cooking, but I'm not letting you get executed," MK said.

Two tentacles came out of the water and curled into fists. "And I don't want us to get an even worse punishment," Anne Maria said as she brandished her own fists. "If we do this at the same time, then we'll be done quicker." She and the tentacles then entered a boxing match, with MK watching.

"Deal then," MK said with a shrug.

Confessional: MK

"This is the same girl who fought against an alligator," MK told the viewers. "I forgot about that because I was concerned about her survival."

Confessional Ends

The scene cut back to the three scaling the cliff. Brick and Topher were still in the lead, but Ripper had managed to catch up somewhat despite his ill-suited footwear. None of the three spoke, although they did occasionally glance at each other.

Confessional: Brick

"With how silent we were currently being, I figured now would be a good time to tell them about MK's vote rigging stunt," Brick explained in the confessional trailer. "I know that Ripper is upset at Izzy for supposedly voting him off, but hopefully I can exterminate that by telling him and Topher the potential truth."

Confessional Ends

"Look, I know what happened in Izzy's second elimination," Brick spoke up.

"Don't tell me," Ripper grunted. "My crush voted for me."

"You may think so, but I was told this theory by Scott," Brick said.

"Scott had a theory?" Topher paused to look at him. "I'll believe that when dinosaurs can fit through hoops."

"I know it's strange coming from him, but I personally believe him when he says that MK tampered with the votes in that episode in order to eliminate Izzy and keep herself safe," Brick explained.

"Wait, are you being serious right now?" Topher wondered.

"Why and how could MK gain access to the votes?" Ripper asked.

"I'm still trying to figure that part out, but MK is an intellectual fellow," Brick continued. "She may have hacked into the voting devices herself or created a device to switch the votes."

"So if MK was able to have access to the votes, why couldn't she have changed them to eliminate Ripper?" Topher asked.

"Probably because she wanted to cause more drama by changing Chase's vote to Izzy and Izzy's vote to Ripper," Brick said.

"I specifically remember voting for MK that day," Ripper said.

"And MK likely didn't change your vote because she didn't want the whole situation to look suspicious," Brick reasoned.

"This is kinda hard to take in," Topher said. "We should finish climbing first."

Confessional: Topher

"Could it be possible that MK somehow overheard me and my old alliance talk about voting for Chase?" Topher wondered. "If so, then that would explain why she wanted to kick Chase off the show."

Confessional Ends

MK was humming an electronic tune to herself as she set a pot of water to boil, then read off a piece of paper on the counter next to her.

The camera panned over to Anne Maria batting away a piranha with a skillet as if she was a tennis player. "Don't worry about me!" she told MK. "I'm doing fine."

"The noodles only require time to boil and I hate watching you while I do nothing," MK replied.

The camera cut to Anne Maria knife fighting with a jellyfish tentacle. "If you want to assist me with the fight, grab a knife!"

"Like you said, I can't be picking fights," MK refused. "I'll rather just stand."

Confessional: Anne Maria

"We're at the Final Five," Anne Maria told the confessional. "And sooner or later, I could be targeted for elimination. I know you guys think that I haven't been doing much, but I'm intentionally not playing myself up as a threat. I'm not the strongest, fastest, or smartest, and people have been ignoring me because of that."

She then gave a slight look of anger to the camera. "It's not floating when you know you're doing it on purpose. I've managed to win two challenges in a row, which is more than I can say for anybody left here."

Confessional Ends

The scene flashed to the Sasquatch 'master' waiting in its cave at the top of the mountain, the camera panning off to the left to show the three young men as they finally reached the peak.

"So is there anything else that you know about MK during your time away from the show or what?" Ripper asked Brick.

"Other than the vote rigging? No," Brick answered. "But given how she turned on Jasmine, she's probably behind a couple of the eliminations here."

"Why didn't you tell any of us about this the day you rejoined the game?" Topher asked the cadet.

"MK had immunity, and I was more focused on getting back Jasmine's trust than talking to you," Brick admitted. "But we do have to deal with MK sooner rather than later."

"I'll try to force a confession out of MK," Ripper promised. "If she actually caused me to turn against Izzy, then she's definitely going down!"

"Good to hear. Hey, remember when you put snails on my bed?" Topher told Ripper.

"Yeah?" Ripper said gruffly before he got shoved onto the floor by Topher, causing him to drop his glass.

"It's payback time," Topher smirked and then grabbed Brick's glass.

"What are you-" Brick tried to ask.

"Sorry about this, Brick, but I have to win a challenge for once," Topher told him and then dropped his glass. "Nothing personal."

With Ripper and Brick growling and gaping respectively amidst the shattered pieces of their water glasses, Topher ran away towards the cave.

The music picked up its pace as the camera quick-panned ahead to Sasquatchanakwa, who stood up and stepped forward. He stopped the dirty blonde in his tracks with a roar, but it was only for a moment.

"You want your water? Here you go!" Topher taunted, throwing his glass at the beast's eyes. As the beast roared and frantically tried to wipe the water and glass out of its face, Topher ran past and grabbed the bonsai.

"Pleasure dealing with you!" Topher told the sasquatch and took off.

Confessional: Sasquatchanakwa

The one in the confessional was the Master Sasquatch itself. Taking up most of the space in front of the camera, it crossed its arms and glowered at the camera.

"Not cool," it shockingly said in a hoarse and gravelly voice.

Confessional Ends

The footage returned to Brick and Ripper watching in shock as Topher ran past them with the bonsai. Their eyes widened in fear and the camera panned out to show the sasquatch glaring at them, prompting the duo to flee the scene screaming.

The footage skipped ahead to night, all five contestants now back in the craft services tent. It had been rearranged so that a single table sat along the far end loaded with seafood, and various Japanese-themed decorations had been put up around the room. Topher was seated at the table, while MK and Anne Maria stood near the meal counter with a noticeable amount of distance between them and Brick stood in the window.

The camera zoomed in on the winner as Topher took a sip of tea. "Refreshing, to say the least," he said to himself.

"Would you care for some Kung Fu Noodle Soup?" Ripper said bitterly, walking up to the fanboy carrying a large steaming pot with a ladle sticking out of it.

"Oh, sure," Topher said gratefully. He watched as the bully – still dressed as a taikomochi – ladled soup into a wooden bowl set before him. "Is Chris really making you wear that all day?"

"It's my punishment for not winning!" Ripper spat and walked off.

"I'd hate to be you right now," Topher said and then looked over to Brick. "Hey Brick, do you want any of the fish or soup?"

"No thanks!" Brick called out. "I have a fish allergy!"

"More for me then," Topher smiled and continued his meal.

The camera panned over to Anne Maria and MK eating their own noodles from their bowls. "I never thought I'd say this, but you make pretty good noodles," Anne Maria said.

"And you're not so bad with octopuses, Anne Maria," MK complimented back.

"This doesn't mean that we're good though," Anne Maria let her know. "I still don't trust you, MK."

"Absolutely correct," MK responded. "I hate you, but I have a non-killing spree that I have to keep intact, and don't think I've gone soft."

"I never did," Anne Maria assured her and continued to eat her noodles.

The camera focused on the tent's entrance, and Chris soon stepped into view. "Wow, that's sad," he told the camera. "And by sad, I mean pathetic," he smiled. "Will MK be able to keep her street smart cred?" Chris asked. "And will the contestants finally do what we've been hoping for all season and eliminate her? And will anything be able to top all this excitement?"

"Probably," he answered immediately. "Find out next time, on Total! Drama! Action!"

(Roll the Credits)

(Bonus Clip)

"I didn't have to do much today, which is common when it comes to no elimination episodes," MK confessed. "I personally wish that they were cut altogether so that I can advance to the final two faster, but I do enjoy slacking off whenever I can." A deep muttering came from outside the trailer. "There's some food left in the kitchen. Go help yourself to it." She heard more muttering. "There's no space for you to fit in any of our trailers! Not only would that be creepy, but you normally sleep in the woods!" An angry mutter came. "I'm not even insulting you! I'm just stating a fact!" She heard footsteps leaving. "Can these sasquatches be any more sensitive?"

Eva - 15th

Geoff - 15th

Izzy - RETURNED

Trent - 13th

Sky - 12th

Brick - RETURNED

Scott - 11th

Izzy - 10th

Millie - 9th

MERGE

Chase - 8th

Justin - 7th

Jasmine - 6th

Boys: Brick, Ripper, Topher

Girls: Anne Maria, MK

Author's Note: Other than finding a way to do the episode with five people whilst accounting for the lack of mole storyline with Ripper, I don't have much new to add for this episode. Hopefully Brick is effective at his role in trying to expose MK so far. We'll see how that goes in the next episode.