"In the last episode of Total Drama All Stars! The executives decided it was time for a change of scenery, so we quickly sent everyone to the Film Lot where Action took place a few years ago!" A scene of the Film Lot can be shown. "To even the teams, I sent Duncan over to the Heroes and Dave to the Villains. And for the fun of it? I sent Scarlett and Toper over to the Wildcards as well!" The camera showed the reactions of the campers, some looking relieved, others annoyed. "Their first challenge was to escape prison! And in the midst of it, Mike showed some concerning behavior as his violent side really came out!" Mike could be twisting Duncan's wrist, causing him to cry out in pain. "Scarlett and B managed to obtain half an idol each, which becomes active when they combine it! Meanwhile, Courtney obtained her own idol, but at the cost of losing her vote at the next three ceremonies she attends!" A scene of Scarlett, B and Courtney reacting to their advantages could be seen, "In the end however, Courtney couldn't muster up the courage to save her new romance with Scott as he was voted off in a 5-2 vote in a calculated move by Alejandro!" Alejandro could be seen grinning as Scott was escorted off. "Before leaving however, Scott left Courtney with two gifts. A piece of paper and a kiss!" A scene of Scott kissing Courtney was shown.

"Who will be the next player voted off tonight? Tune in to find out in this episode of TOTAL! DRAMA! ALL STARS!"

XXX

Confessional: Courtney (Villainous Vipers)

"Congratulations! You managed to convince the majority you were in the right. As a reward, this Extra Vote is now yours to cast at any Elimination Ceremony you attend. This expires at the final five."

Courtney breathed out, her hands shaking slightly as she read the piece of paper in her hand. "That pesky Ginger had an advantage and didn't tell me about it until he was voted off!?" The CIT couldn't help complaining. She shook her head to snap herself out of it, "Priorities Courtney! I need to figure out what happened last elimination, and then start advocating for people to join me in an alliance!"

XXX

As Courtney was leaving the confessional dressing room, she was immediately confronted by Jo who was waiting for her with her hands on her hips. "Prissy Pants, we need to talk."

Courtney scowled at the nickname. "Stop calling me Prissy Pants! And what do you mean we need to talk? About what?"

Jo scoffed and grabbed Courtney's and dragged her back into the confessional dressing room.

XXX

Confessional: Courtney & Jo (Villainous Vipers)

"Ow! What have you dragged me back in here for!?" Courtney whined as she rubbed her wrist slightly.

"Because you're the only other person I know of that didn't vote for Scott!" Jo snapped, directly pointing a finger in Courtney's face, "As much as I hate to admit it, we may need to team up."

"Wait," Courtney said, "You didn't vote for Scott?"

"NO!" Jo shouted angrily, "As if I'd keep Dave-o-matic over Redneck! Meaning we need to figure out what happened! I bet Alejandro and Heather are behind this!"

Courtney hummed to herself as she tapped her chin, "We need to interrogate someone. Lightning's no good, nothing smart ever comes out of his mouth."

"Hand Lotion isn't likely to spill the beans either." Jo said with a scowl on her face and her arms crossed.

Courtney and Jo exchanged looks with each other and had the exact same thought. "Zombie Bait."

XXX

The next scene transitioned to Dave and Shawn attempting to have a conversation by the beach in a relatively secluded area. Well, as secluded as an artificial beach can get.

"What did you drag me all the way out here for?" Dave couldn't help hissing in annoyance, a block of sunscreen covering his nose, "This couldn't have waited?"

"ZOMBIE BAIT! YOU CAN'T HIDE FOREVER!"

Shawn gave Dave a deadpan look as they heard Jo's voice in the distance. "That's why I'm hiding! You think I want to be anywhere near Jo as she stomps around in a rage?"

"Point taken." Dave conceded, "But what does that have to do with me again?"

Shawn rolled his eyes, a bitter look on his face overtaking his features as he tried to explain the situation. "Look, I know I'm not your favorite person at the minute, but I want to propose an alliance between us. Even if it's only till we get off the Villains team, then I won't bother you ever again if that's what you really want."

Dave felt a pang of guilt in his chest as he remembered the not so nice words he said to Shawn a few episodes back. "Listen, I-"

"Don't even pretend like you didn't mean it, you did." Shawn interrupted him sourly, a hopeless look on his face. "It doesn't have to be a forever thing, we just have to survive this team swap and then we can go our separate ways. Not a bad deal, don'tcha think?"

Dave wanted to rebuke Shawn's claim. He couldn't understand why he was feeling as guilty as he was. Maybe it was Shawn's general unhappiness, but Dave realized that he hadn't seen the boy smile in quite some time now. But why wouldn't he? He won Pahkitew Island, he won a girlfriend, he won the popularity of the outside audience for goodness sake! That's more than Dave had ever received!

It wasn't fair!

Dave was the normal one!

Not Shawn!

It wasn't fair…

"Gah! Fine!" Dave couldn't help yelling in annoyance, surprising the other boy who seemed genuinely surprised at the reaction, "We can have a stupid alliance!"

Shawn couldn't help giving Dave the stink eye. "You want to shout that even louder so that the zombies can locate where we are and eat our brains!?" He couldn't help muttering sarcastically.

Dave could only grin sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

XXX

Confessional: Shawn (Villainous Vipers)

"I HATE this team!" Shawn couldn't help stomping his foot angrily, wiping away a quick tear that threatened to leak down his face, "I'm in constant fear of my life here! And what's worse! There's no Jasmine to make things better!" He buried his face in his hands in defeat.

XXX

Confessional: Dave (Villainous Vipers)

Dave looked awkwardly into the camera lens. "Shawn looks even more tired than usual, which is admittedly quite the accomplishment for him." He couldn't help quipping with a small chuckle before guilt washed over his face again, "I thought there was a time I'd enjoy seeing Shawn look so defeated, but now I just can't help but feel bad…"

XXX

To contrast the previous scene, Heather could be seen humming to herself as she ate her breakfast inside of the breakfast tent. Courtney walked by her in a bit of a huff, prompting Heather to smirk as she couldn't help taunting Courtney.

"Congrats Courtney! Is this the first time you've managed to get further in the competition than your own boyfriend?" Heather couldn't help teasing, "Only took you four tries!"

"SHUT UP!" Courtney couldn't help yelling, a frenzied look on her face as it took all of her willpower not to strangle Heather, "Scott was never my boyfriend!"

"Oh, that's my bad." Heater feigned innocence she covered her mouth mischievously, "I guess he was just a fun ginger rebound from Duncan then, huh? Too bad Gothball has got him wrapped around her wrinkly little finger!"

Courtney lunged for Heather.

Before she could make contact however Alejandro intercepted the attack, deftly restraining Courtney as she threw a hissy fit! "LET GO OF ME! I NEED TO BEAT HER INTO A PULP! AND YOU! LET GO! LET GO! LET GO!"

"Courtney, p-please!" Alejandro couldn't help straining as he fought against Courtney's monster strength, "V-violence is not the answer!"

Courtney almost listened to Alejandro's soothing words, her immediate anger almost calming down in her presence. She was being filmed! She knew better than to overreact!

But then she saw Heather smirk at her.

And her anger resurfaced once again.

With a growl, Courtney bit Alejandro's arm, causing the boy to yelp in surprise as he let go of her, letting the CIT attack the Queen Bee without any more interruptions.

"GAH!"

Slap.

"OOF!"

Slap.

The scene played out as Courtney essentially wrestled both of Heather and Alejandro on the floor, which was not as uneven of a match as one might think as Courtney continued to clutch Heather's hair, and despite Alejandro's attempts to dismantle her, he couldn't do it as Courtney was determined to hurt this girl.

"LET GO OF MY HAIR!" Heather couldn't help screeching in pain.

"Chef! Help us!" Alejandro couldn't help yelling into the kitchen.

To his surprise however, Chef was just recording the entire fight on his phone as he ate some popcorn. "Nah, this is the most entertaining thing I've witnessed in a while."

XXX

Confessional: Courtney (Villainous Vipers)

"Okay, not my finest moment." Courtney admitted with a pout as she nursed her bruised arms, "But she has had it coming for four seasons!"

XXX

Confessional: Heather (Villainous Vipers)

"THAT PSYCHO TORE OUT A CHUNK OF MY HAIR!" Heather couldn't help screeching in outrage as she could feel a bald spot on her head, "SHE IS DONE FOR!"

XXX

Confessional: Alejandro (Villainous Vipers)

"I'm remiss to say that Heather likely provoked Courtney to prove a point." Alejandro couldn't help admitting sullenly as he nursed his bitten arm, "I know Courtney can sometimes be unhinged, but that's the first time that I've known her to be completely feral!"

XXX

Sky had gathered the rest of the Wildcards into a secret huddle by the forest as there was something she wanted to discuss with them. The only ones not in attendance were Dawn, Noah and Topher who were absent.

"So why did you drag us all the way out here anyways?" Sierra couldn't help asking.

"Yeah! My legs are all wobbly just from having to take this stupid trek!" Mike, or rather, Chester couldn't help complaining rubbed his poor legs.

Sky placated the rest of her team as B and Scarlett were also curious as to the former's intent. "I know, I know. This is a really inconvenient time to bring it up, but I was wondering whether an official alliance between the five of us could be something we're all interested in?"

"You e-excluded D-Dawn?" B couldn't help asking uncomfortably.

"Well, yes." Sky admitted hesitantly. She knew B and Dawn were friends, so she wanted to tackle this as tactfully as possible, "Dawn, alongside Noah and Topher, haven't exactly been the most considerate team members. They're not team players and I think it's something we should be mindful of if we attend an elimination ceremony."

Scarlett was most bemused by this development. "So that's what this meeting is really about. You wish for us to use Dawn, Noah and Topher as sacrificial lambs should we lose. Is that correct?"

Sky flushed slightly as she rushed to defend herself, "Not sacrifice! Just… We need to be considerate of who cares about the team, and I think that's the five of us here. Wouldn't you guys agree?"

"And what happens if one of us five messes up the challenge? Would Dawn, Noah and Topher still be priority targets?" Sierra asked curiously.

Sky nodded, "That's right! Any mistakes we make would definitely be an accident. I think that's more innocent than purposefully isolating yourself and not participating in challenges." She then put her hand in the middle of the huddle, "All in favor of this alliance?"

Sierra and Chester both instinctively put their hands in the middle. B and Scarlett however both had their hesitancies.

"I want to stipulate a condition before agreeing." Scarlett said pensively, a calculating look on her face.

"What is it?" Sky asked.

"In the case that we attend elimination, I suggest we spare Topher at the first elimination ceremony and target one of Dawn or Noah." Scarlett said, a certain finality to her tone that made arguing with her feel difficult.

Sky seemed a little taken aback that Scarlett was supporting Topher of all people, "Any reason for it?"

"Being the newest members on the team, I would like some reassurance that you take my opinion seriously and that you don't plan to take me for granted." Scarlett replied coolly.

Sky was inclined to feel insulted that she would be accused of taking someone for granted. However, she gulped down her complaints, "In that case, Noah and Dawn will be our target should we attend elimination."

"I don't w-want Dawn to be t-targeted first." B chimed up. Though he slightly stuttered, he had a no nonsense sort of look to his face. "Dawn h-helps us, Noah doesn't."

Sky was a little exasperated that both Topher and Dawn had been protected at this first meeting. But if eliminating Noah meant getting the cooperation of both B and Scarlett, it was a done deal. "Sure thing. In that case, should we attend an elimination, Noah will be our target. Any objections?"

Nobody objected.

Scarlett and B placed their hands in the middle of the huddle.

"This is the start of something great guys, trust me!" Sky said confidently.

XXX

Confessional: Sky (Wildest Weasels)

Sky sat nervously as she clasped her hands together. "Okay, I know that it sort of looks like I'm excluding Dawn, Noah and Topher from the team." Sky admitted sheepishly, "But all three of them completely drag the team down! Topher's always getting distracted, Noah only puts in the bare minimum, and don't even get me started on Dawn refusing to participate in some challenges!" Sky couldn't help ranting, getting angrier and angrier as she complained. She then paused and smacked her lips together awkwardly, "I'm a little mad."

XXX

Confessional: Scarlett (Wildest Weasels)

"I intend to betray Sky's alliance as soon as we vote off Noah." Scarlett couldn't help admitting with a roll of her eyes. "It's quite obvious that Sky is the central piece in keeping the Wildcards together. With her elimination? The rest of the team crumbles, and then I can do whatever I see fit." Scarlett tapped her chin, "Noah's elimination simply justifies a working relationship with both Topher and Dawn as his removal from the game will make them desperate to ally with whoever offers an aiding hand first."

XXX

"STUPID MIKE!" Zoey couldn't help screaming as she kicked at a makeshift punching bag she'd made within the forest.

Zoey had attempted to confront Mike on his violent behavior and demand some answers. However, Chester had been at the forefront of Mike's personality and despite Zoey's attempts at trying to bring back Mike, Chester was the one who remained in control as he told her off for screeching in his ear.

So now she was using a punching bag to vent her anger and frustration.

"Not bad Little Red, but let the Lightning show you how it's done!"

Zoey rolled her eyes as she stepped back and allowed Lightning to take a crack at it. With a cocky smirk, he prepared his fist and-

"SHA-BAM!"

-with a single punch, Lightning had decimated the punching bag, snapping the makeshift rope that was hanging off of a tree branch.

"Impressive." Zoey couldn't help commenting sarcastically, grunting as she tried to fix her punching bag.

Lightning raised a brow at Zoey's passive-aggressive behavior. "What's got you so riled up?"

"You're the last person I'd talk about my problems with!" Zoey replied testily, before a guilty look overtook her face, "S-sorry, I'm just… Stressed."

Lightning shrugged as he snatched the makeshift punching bag from off of Zoey and tied it to a tree branch, "The Lightning don't really care, but lemme fix that for you."

There were many things that Lightning was unknowledgeable about. Gym equipment however was not one of them. He managed to fix it twice the speed that Zoey had managed to put it together the first time. The punching bag seemed sturdier too and was less likely to fall off.

"You really know your stuff." Zoey complimented, impressed with Lightning's quick maneuvering, "I'm assuming your life revolves around the gym?"

"And football." Lightning shrugged dismissively., "Gotta play to my strengths and grind the hustle, y'know? You keep punching, I can hold it for you."

Zoey was a little embarrassed to admit it, but having such a normal conversation with Lightning of all people temporarily got rid of the anger she had felt for her boyfriend. For the time being, at any rate.

"I'm going to hit the showers real quick, thanks for cheering me up!"

Before Lightning could respond, Zoey bolted off in what could only be described as second hand embarrassment, leaving the former completely confused.

XXX

Confessional: Lightning (Villainous Vipers)

"What'd Lightning do?" Lightning couldn't help asking out loud.

XXX

Confessional: Zoey (Heroic Horses)

Zoey had crossed her arms uncomfortably. "Honestly talking to Lightning just feels really weird." She couldn't help admitting, "I know I shouldn't really hold it against him, but I'm still a little salty about the way he eliminated me last season? You cannot act like a jerk and then just pretend to be cool again? What sort of twisted logic is that?" Zoey asked, a clear bitter tone to her voice.

XXX

Duncan and Gwen were taking advantage of the fact that their team won the mansion for a few days to rekindle their romantic spark. With the help of all the heroic girls on the team, they managed to give them both a drastic makeover.

Duncan had allowed his green mohawk to gradually dissipate, revealing that his natural hair was surprisingly fluffy. He also took out his nose piercing and the studded collar around his neck, leaving only his studded ear piercings in. The delinquent donned a sort of hopeless romantic black prom suit, looking slightly disheveled as Duncan in smart looking attire just didn't look natural.

In comparison, Gwen put on a bit more makeup than she typically did, using teal eyeliner to match with her lips and adding a black beauty mark on the side of her cheek. She wore a draped teal dress that went to above her knees, though the sleeves on the dress were purposefully long. She wore black combat boots and fishnet leggings to complete her look.

"You look ghoulish." Duncan couldn't help chuckling when he saw Gwen for the first time in her attire, giving her a kiss on the cheek as he pulled out a chair for her at the dinner table.

Gwen smirked at the compliment, "Nice to see you can make an effort when you put your mind to it."

Duncan smiled at the jab, though he internally cringed at how… Courtney-ish she sounded. He knew it was just Gwen's sense of humor and that she didn't mean anything by it, but after dating a perfectionist like Courtney, you can't help but feel a little insecure about how your future partners perceive you.

The lovebirds ate their meals with ease as they bantered and poked fun at each other, igniting a friendliness back to their relationship that had been lost for an unfortunate amount of time. This was the first time in a while that Gwen was enjoying the company of Duncan, who had definitely grind her gears for the past few weeks. Though it didn't resolve all of her issues with him, this nice dinner was a good starter. Likewise Duncan enjoyed the fact he had actually caught Gwen in a somewhat good mood instead of miserably sulking. It reminded him of why he had liked her in the first place.

They began gossiping about their teammates.

"What's been happening between you and Leshawna anyways? Did you guys sort out your beef with each other?" Duncan asked between a mouthful of steak. He was referencing their time within the cave of friendship, as disgusting of a name as it was.

Gwen snorted as she rolled her eyes, "Don't even get me started on Leshawna. She's been acting weird since the beginning of the season. Seems like she'd rather be friends with Jasmine and Brick than with me, which is whatever."

Duncan chortled a bit as he redirected the conversation, "How are these noobs anyways? Tall girl, blonde girl and cadet guy?"

"Jasmine was someone I had a hard time getting along with, she was obsessed with her boyfriend who was a bit quirky for lack of a better term. Seriously, that whole zombie schtick is ridiculous" Gwen mocked humorously, "And I don't really know that much about Brick or Sammy, not my kinda vibe."

"Crybabies are the vibes they give me." Duncan commented bitingly. He was not a fan of any of the noobies.

Except for one.

"Zoey's pretty cool though." Duncan commented offhandedly.

"Besides her own boyfriend being a violent psycho…" Gwen muttered bitterly.

Duncan grew an uneasy look at the mention of Zoey's boyfriend, prompting Gwen to question him.

"What is it?" Gwen asked curiously. She hadn't seen Duncan ever look uneasy at the mention of someone's name.

"What's his name? Mike?" Duncan asked, to which Gwen nodded in confirmation, "Pretty sure I've met him in juvie before."

"Juvie? You better not be making that up, because with the way he acted in the previous challenge? I'll buy it." Gwen couldn't help raising her brows.

"I wouldn't make that up!" Duncan whispered a bit more harshly than he had meant to, "Only, he didn't go by Mike, he went by a guy called Mal? Scariest guy in the place."

"What did this Mal guy do?" Gwen asked, her curiosity sincerely peaked now.

"When Mal first came to juvie, he was the scrawniest guy in the place y'know?." Duncan explained, "It made him an easy target for bullying. Only, he wasn't an easy target at all. First day of juvie he sent three guys to a hospital. One with a broken leg, another for a broken jaw, and the last one? Let's just say the last guy doesn't twist his neck as easily as he once did."

"And you're saying this same guy threw me into a wall not even a few days ago?" Gwen asked with a look of horror on her face.

"Yeah." Duncan cringed, "Mal didn't commit anymore acts of violence after that first day, he'd psychologically tortured us into obeying him if we didn't want to end up like one of those guys."

"Including you?"

Duncan scowled, "You better not be calling me soft. I did my best to stay outta Mal's way."

Gwen held up her hands defensively, "Okay, so this Mal guy is dangerous, so… How does that explain Mike?"

"Gonna be honest, I think this Mike identity might just be an act." Duncan theorized uneasily, "And there's only one reason I can think of for why that is."

Gwen grimaced as she realized the implications her boyfriend was making. "Zoey?"

Duncan nodded grimly, "Zoey."

XXX

Confessional: Gwen (Heroic Horses)

"Duncan's story sounds really unbelievable." Gwen admitted with a conflicted look on her face, "If this Mal guy hadn't thrown me into a wall during the previous challenge? I may not have even believed it. I don't get how Zoey could be with someone like that."

XXX

Confessional: Duncan (Heroic Horses)

"Is Zoey in an abusive relationship? I doubt it." Duncan said suspiciously, "Is she in danger of her relationship? I'm going to wager yes. Normally I'd mind my own business, but this Mal guy is dangerous and I've got a real fondness for Zoey. I owe it to her to try and protect her, even if she doesn't believe me."

XXX

"Yasmine! Run! You have to get away!"

"But Shane! You're surrounded by zombies!"

"Leave me! You have to keep the baby safe!"

"I'M NOT LEAVING YOU!"

"Just let little Rosie know how much her daddy loves her…"

"NO!"

"SHANE NO!" Jasmine screamed at the television in front of her, tears falling down her eyes as she witnessed the fictional character being eaten alive by zombies. "Now poor Yasmine has to raise Rosie in the apocalypse!? That's just too cruel!"

"Girl it's a movie, get a hold of ya-self!" Leshawna rolled her eyes, chucking a piece of popcorn at Jasmine's head.

Sammy was concerned.

She had been watching the movie with Jasmine and Leshawna… The taller girl was uncharacteristically emotional throughout it, to say the least.

"Maybe we should have some breakfast?" Sammy asked tentatively.

Jasmine sighed as she got up from one of the beanbags. "Forget it, I'm not hungry."

Sammy and Leshawna exchanged concerned glances.

XXX

Confessional: Sammy (Heroic Horses)

"I think she's starting to miss Shawn." Sammy admitted, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck, "I'm sure she'll feel better for the challenge though!"

XXX

Confessional: Jasmine (Heroic Horses)

"WHY WON'T HE TALK TO ME!?" Jasmine cried into the dressing room confessional, deep tear stains on her face, "I've given him all of the space in the world and he still won't talk to me! Does he not want to reconcile!?"

XXX

The next scene switched over to Topher and Noah. The former was singing inside the shower outhouse whilst the latter was forced to listen, cringing at the lyrics as he brushed his teeth.

"I'm too sexy for my shirt, too sexy for my shirt, so sexy it HURTS!~"

Naturally the change in environment had done a decent amount to boost Topher's morale. Being on a stinky old island was hardly a place for inspiration. He felt for sure that being on the island has taken at least ten years off his lifespan without his grooming equipment. But here? On an acting set? Topher was beginning to feel like he was in his element again! He may not be the smartest, nor the strongest, and perhaps not even the most good looking. But you want to know what he was? Showbiz savvy. And he was willing to do anything to prove it.

Anything.

"You want to lower your voice? I think I can see the windows cracking a bit." Noah snarked as he stuck a finger inside his left ear.

Topher poked his head around the shower curtains as he wasn't willing to let Noah get away with another funny remark, "Silly Noah. I don't sing, I perform! Something you're clearly incapable of doing."

"Didn't know you had cats in the shower to join your chorus." Noah said scathingly, an insufferable smirk on his face as he spat his toothpaste out.

Topher grinned. "Mock me all you want. We both know who's going to outlast who in this game!"

"Oh yes, we certainly wouldn't want to miss your tacky fawn hair." Noah scoffed incredulously.

"What was Chris thinking inviting a failure back onto the show like you? I mean, you failed to reach the merge twice!" Topher complained offhandedly, "And now you're about to get booted in the pre-merge for a third time! Super embarrassing if you ask me."

"We'll see."

XXX

Confessional: Topher (Wildest Weasels)

"Somebody needed to put Noah in their place!" Topher said indignantly, with a small scowl on his face, "Imagine having that big of a superiority complex whilst having arguably one of the worst track records this show has seen! It's ridiculous!"

XXX

Confessional: Noah (Wildest Weasels)

"That might have meant something… if it came from anyone else." Noah said with a deadpan tone.

XXX

Cody sighed to himself as he sat inside of the boys trailer. He was the only one actually still in the room.

Alone.

Again.

Cody was having a somewhat rough time this game. In Island he was eliminated early enough to the point where he didn't have time to feel lonely. And why would he? He was having a blast! It was more fun and simple when he would try to win Gwen's affection in a somewhat silly way. Or when he would bro-down with Owen and Trent. Hell, he would take this secret to the grave with him, but he actually enjoyed it when Heather created drama for the hell of it. It kept the team interesting. And the best part?

He was never part of the drama.

But, in a sick twisted sense of irony, not being part of the drama isolated him from getting closer with people. And he began to realize that not being part of drama just made you… Invisible to everyone else.

And that was never more apparent than it was when he competed on World Tour.

Did Cody leave the season with an overall positive reputation? Absolutely! When he saw how many supporters he had? He was completely over the moon!

However, Cody lost.

He had disappointed his supporters.

And that was when Cody realized an ugly truth. Nobody was truly rooting for him to win. Everybody was rooting for Heather and Alejandro to lose.

That stung like hell.

So when Cody was invited to join All Stars, he had to accept it! It was a recognition that meant something! It was an acknowledgement that Cody was worthy enough to be on the season! He could finally prove himself as a genuine competitor to his peers!

Only… He has been completely ignored ever since Owen was voted off. His decision to try and eliminate Leshawna had devastating consequences as it isolated him from the rest of the team. Nobody was outwardly nasty to him, but he knew that the next time they attended elimination? Cody was likely to be the next elimination.

There was nothing he could do about it either, and that was the most despairing part.

"You're a lot more valuable than you believe you are."

"AHHHHH!" Cody screamed, jumping six feet high into the air, his face white as a ghost as he tried to catch his breath. "WHO SAID THAT!?"

"Pardon me, I didn't mean to startle you, your aura just happened to emanate the deepest of blues. It required investigation at once."

Cody turned towards the boy's trailer window and looked outside. He still couldn't see who had said it.

"Down here."

Cody looked down to find a small wispy blonde girl in a peculiar lotus position.

"Why are you meditating outside the boy's trailer window?" Cody couldn't help questioning with a somewhat disturbed look on his face. This girl was even stealthier than Sierra was and that was an accomplishment!

"Did I not already say?" The wispy girl replied with a reassuring smile, "I sensed an eminent aura of blue and thought to investigate it. As it turns out, the one whose aura I sensed was… Yours."

Cody just blankly stared at the girl in front of him.

Well, this is what he got for wishing for company, he supposed. What even was her name?

"Dawn, if you're curious."

Creepy.

"I'm uhh, Cody."

"I know."

Cody raised his brows at that. "You do?"

"I do."

"What…Were you saying earlier?" Cody asked cautiously, "About me being valuable or something?"

Dawn looked up at him with a kind look on her face, "You've been doubting your worth recently. I can tell that much, so I thought it might be beneficial to remind you that you still hold value."

Cody rolled his eyes, a somewhat cynical look overcoming his face as he sneered at the girl, "Gee, thanks."

"You're an underdog Cody. That is the best kind of value you could hold. Because the funny thing about underdogs is that… They can only go up. Utilize it as wisely as possible. Regardless of whether you believe it or not, you're still a player in this game, so make the most of your time before it's too late."

Cody indignantly scoffed as he looked away for a second, "Who are you to tell me- oh." Cody's rant was interrupted as the wispy girl had completely disappeared from sight.

XXX

Confessional: Cody (Heroic Horses)

"Underdog? That's not exactly done me a lot of good in the past." Cody lamented with a depressed sigh.

XXX

"CHALLENGE TIME MOVIE STARS!"

The scene transitioned to the contestants on a football field.

"FOOTBALL?! ARE WE PLAYING FOOTBALL!?" Lightning shouted excitedly, his eyes brimming with what could only be described as childlike excitement.

Chris shook his head mischievously, dampening Lightning's mood heavily. "Nada. Today's challenge is a Three Legged Relay Race!"

"And what movie is this from again?" Noah quipped dryly.

"In today's challenge I'll be dividing you into four pairs of two," Chris explained, ignoring Noah's sarcastic comment, "From then on it is a team decision on which part of the relay race you wish to do!"

Chris then brought out a whiteboard which sectioned what each part of the relay race would be. "The first pair to begin the challenge will make their way to a balance beam! The pair must make their way across to the other side without falling into the kiddie pool below them as it could have some… Devastating shocks!"

In the kiddie water pool, eels hissed as they jumped in and out, causing the cast to gasp.

"The second part of the challenge requires rock climbing! One pair of the duo will hold the other member up to get them to the top of the climbing wall. From there, the other member will drop a ladder down to their teammate so that they can make their way up. Careful! So as not to make things too easy I've set a few… Booby traps here and there."

Cody couldn't help giggling, "Heh, he said booby."

"For the third part of the challenge, the next duo will come across some, uhh, interesting meals that they must finish if they want to continue! After that they must run as fast as they can to the last pair without vomiting! Any vomiting will give a time penalty to the last pair where they cannot continue until time is up!"

"What's the time penalty?" Courtney asked, raising her hand.

"Depends on the severity. Less vomit equals less penalty, more vomit equals… Well, you get where I'm going with this, right?" Chris chuckled as Courtney scrunched her nose in disgust.

"Finally, in true relay race style, the final pair must make a mad dash to the finish line as fast as they can! Like all the other parts of the race however, you might want to be careful of some minefields we planted, I don't remember where we placed them…"

"Are you demented!? That could kill us!" Sky protested, her eyes wide with shock.

Jo rolled her eyes as she took the time to taunt the smaller girl, "Get a grip Chicken Little, you knew what show you were signing up for."

Sky grit her teeth in frustration, "Yeah well, you… You're…"

Jo took advantage of Sky struggling to retort to butt in, "Don't bother, we'll fry you real good for dinner tonight!"

The other Villains laughed, causing Sky to flush as she looked to Dave for any kind of support. He shrugged, not knowing what Sky wanted him to do about it.

"We only have seven players to the other team's eight?" Courtney pointed out sourly.

Heather filed her nails as she gave Courtney the cattiest look imaginable, "Oh yeah, I forgot we kicked off your boyfriend, didn't we?"

Before Courtney could retaliate, Chris intervened. "Glad you noticed that Courtney! To make up for the absence of Scott, we got you a Viper to do the challenge with!"

"WHAT!?" Courtney screamed in terror as she began to think about doing the challenge with a snake around her neck.

"Kidding~" Chris laughed, "Apparently Vipers are too dangerous due to their venom. So we got what we thought resembled Scott best, a Rat!"

Chef came into sight as he grabbed an orange rat that seemed to be squeaking in terror. He mindlessly threw the rat at Courtney, who caught the rat as gently as she could.

"Squeak, squeak."

Courtney pouted, "Aww, he doesn't seem that bad."

The Rat decided to prove Courtney wrong by biting one of her fingers.

"OWW!? GET OFF OF ME!" Courtney shrieked, waving her hands up and down frantically, causing a few unnamed people to snicker at the situation.

XXX

Confessional: Duncan (Heroic Horses)

"That Rat has better taste than Scott does." Duncan laughed, clutching his stomach as he wiped a tear away.

XXX

"For the Heroic Horses! I have decided to pair up…"

"... Gwen and Jasmine."

Both girls glanced at each other. Jasmine offered a fist bump, which Gwen was happy to reciprocate now that they weren't arguing anymore.

"Leshawna and Sammy."

Leshawna threw an arm around the blonde girl's shoulder, causing Sammy to blush bashfully.

"Zoey and Cody."

Zoey gave Cody a friendly smile, but was surprised when Cody returned her smile with a sour frown.

"... And finally, Brick and Duncan."

Duncan outwardly scowled at the cadet he was paired with, causing Brick to glare at the delinquent in response.

XXX

Confessional: Zoey (Heroic Horses)

"I'm a little confused about what I did to upset Cody." Zoey pondered worriedly, "Maybe he's just in a bad mood?"

XXX

"For the Villainous Vipers the pairs will be…"

"... Alejandro and Shawn."

Alejandro did his best to keep his face neutral. Shawn on the other hand couldn't disguise his own discomfort at being paired with the Spaniard.

"Heather and Jo."

This pairing drew multiple complaints from both girls, with Chris shushing both of them as they glared at each other.

"Lightning and Dave!"

Lightning complained that he got paired with the weakest person on his team, causing Dave to sigh at what could only be a very long day ahead of them.

"And finally, Courtney and Rat."

Courtney was still trying to wriggle the Rat off of her finger.

XXX

Confessional: Courtney (Villainous Vipers)

"I am NEVER getting a pet rat." Courtney shouted indignantly, a noticeably large bandage was wrapped around her index finger.

XXX

"For the Wildcards we have…"

"... B and Sky."

Sky was really happy with who she got paired with, offering B a high five, which he reciprocated with coolness.

"Mike and Sierra!"

"Eh?" Chester asked, trying to cup his ear, "I didn't hear ya."

Sierra stroked her chin as she pondered what she was going to do about her partner who had not returned as Mike for a decent amount of time now.

"Scarlett and Dawn."

Scarlett regarded the Moonchild drily, causing Dawn to purse her own lips at the Brainiac.

"Meaning our final pair will be Noah and Topher!"

Noah couldn't help snorting in amusement, whereas Topher just whined about his partner.

"NOW CHOOSE WHICH PART OF THE RELAY RACE YOU'RE GOING TO DO!"

XXX

Confessional: Scarlett (Wildest Weasels)

"I have admittedly not paid much mind to Dawn prior to this challenge." Scarlett said with a hint of disinterest, "However, I have to acknowledge that not only is her intuition accurate, she has an established relationship with B that I must be mindful of. For now, I'll regard her cordially."

XXX

Relay Race Part 1: Balance Beam

Cody & Zoey vs Courtney & Rat vs Sierra & Mike

"ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET, GO!" Chris yelled, shooting with his fake gun to signal the beginning of the challenge.

The sound of the gun however was enough to frighten the Rat, causing it to run away from Courtney. "No! Get back here you worthless rodent!" Courtney yelled, chasing after it as she couldn't complete her portion of the challenge otherwise.

Meanwhile Chester was in no mood to run, regardless of how much Sierra pleaded with him. "No way are you moving my old bones quickly!"

"Oh c'mon! I'm not asking for a lot here!" Sierra said in frustration, trying to bargain with the old man.

This allowed Cody and Zoey to take an early lead as they made their way to the balance beam.

"Huh?" Cody questioned, as he noticed how shiny the board looked, "Is that… Grease!?"

"Yup! Pretty neat, huh?" Chris chuckled into his loudspeaker.

"Balancing seems too risky and it sorta seems like we have a big lead." Zoey said quickly, "If we skirt along on our bums we can probably get to the other side as safely as possible."

Cody rolled his eyes at the suggestion, "We're wasting too much time, just don't be a dingus and fall in."

Despite Zoey's protests, Cody decided to walk along the balance beam by simply walking on it. Zoey, not wanting to waste time, began following Cody with a tremble to her legs.

XXX

Confessional: Cody (Heroic Horses)

"Honestly? Zoey's nice girl act is just really getting on my nerves." Cody admitted with a bit of a grumble to his voice, "She does the bare minimum and everyone just seems to like her, it's so obnoxious!"

XXX

Having caught her partner, Courtney followed shortly behind as she prepared to walk the greased up balance beam, "Listen here Rat Face! We are going to cross this beam and then we don't have to do anything with each other ever again, understand?"

The Rat squeaked in confusion.

XXX

Confessional: Courtney (Villainous Vipers)

"I'm not crazy!" Courtney exclaimed in outrage, "it is perfectly normal to talk to animals! Grow up!"

XXX

Sierra had given up trying to barter with Chester and was instead carrying him on her back as he yanked at her braids, causing her to yelp in pain, "Why're your braids purple? Back in my day the only colored hair people had were black, blonde and brown!"

"Well we're not in your day Chester!" Sierra said through gritted teeth. "Now stay still!"

"MIKE!"

"SIERRA!"

The screaming caused Sierra to whip her head up as she gasped at what she witnessed.

"Zoey…?" Mike murmured from behind Sierra's back, noticing what the other girl was seeing.

Zoey was dangling from the greased balance beam as she was trying with all of her might to hold herself and Cody up, as Cody desperately clung to Zoey's legs in an attempt to not fall in.

"PLEASE HELP US!" Zoey cried desperately, her grip continuously slipping as she clung on for dear life.

"ZOEY!" Mike shouted, sprinting into action as he hastily got off of Sierra's back and ran towards his girlfriend. When he got to the balance beam, Mike took off his shirt and used it to absorb the grease as he made a clear path towards Zoey, grabbing her arms just as she let go.

However, it wasn't all good just yet. The combined weights of Zoey and Cody were proving to be a bit of a challenge for Mike, who was gritting his teeth in agony.

"CODY!"

With a shriek, Sierra dove into the eel-filled pool, sustaining multiple shocks that seemed to be mostly ineffective as she grabbed Cody from Zoey's legs and chucked him as far as she could to the other side, quickly following as she continued to get shocked over and over again.

This allowed Mike to pull Zoey up and bridal carry her safely to the other side.

XXX

Confessional: Zoey (Heroic Horses)

"Okay, I know I'm supposed to be mad at him." Zoey confessed guiltily, "However, Mike just bridal carried me shirtless. You're gonna have to forgive me if I'm a little flustered." She said, her face red as she tried to fan herself.

XXX

Confessional: Sierra (Wildest Weasels)

"Umm, where the hell was Vito?!" Sierra questioned with an incredulous look on her face, "He always comes out when Mike's shirt is off! Yet he didn't appear once? What is going on…?"

XXX

"Okay… Not what I was hoping for." Courtney admitted as she dangled from the balance beam. She had lost her footing and was now holding on by a single hand.

The Rat squeaked on by just fine as he peered over to look at Courtney's dangling form.

"Oh har har, look at me in danger and you safe and sound!" Courtney scowled.

The Rat decided he didn't like Courtney's tone and began nibbling Courtney's fingers.

"Ow, ow! Please don't do that! I'm going to fall in!" Courtney pleaded.

However, her pleading would fall on deaf ears as The Rat continued to nibble on Courtney's fingers.

"I HATE YOU!" Courtney screamed as she fell into the eel-filled pool, her screams of pain audible as The Rat squeaked in satisfaction, happy with what he had done.

XXX

Confessional: Courtney (Villainous Vipers)

"I will cut that Rat's tail off!" Courtney claimed spitefully, covered in shock marks from the eels.

XXX

Confessional: Chris

"As a disclaimer, we do not endorse any threats the contestants make to any beloved animals." Chris said with a political smile, the disclaimer clearly rehearsed. "That'll prevent some lawsuits hopefully…"

XXX

Relay Race Part 2: Rock Climbing

Gwen & Jasmine vs Alejandro & Shawn vs B & Sky

With the Heroes and Wildcards completing the first part of the challenge at the same time, Gwen & Jasmine and B & Sky were allowed to start their parts.

"It'll be best if I lift you up, yeah?" Jasmine asked Gwen good naturedly.

"Just don't rip off my skirt." Gwen replied sarcastically,

Sky and B exchanged a look of understanding as he quickly strapped the rock climbing equipment onto Sky.

Shawn was antsy as he tapped his foot stressfully. "C'mon Courtney…"

XXX

Confessional: Jasmine (Heroic Horses)

"This is the closest I've been to Shawn in days!" Jasmine squealed in a mixture of excitement and nervousness, "Maybe now's a good time to talk?"

XXX

"Shawn, it's-"

"C-Courtney's here!" Shawn interrupted Jasmine's attempt to talk to him, laughing nervously as a beat up Courtney completed her part of the challenge, "Strap me up, Alejandro!"

XXX

Confessional: Shawn (Villainous Vipers)

"I can't talk to Jasmine like this!" Shawn stressed, an anxious look on his face, "I need to win this challenge first before I can make up with her, I'm sure she understands?"

XXX

Confessional: Jasmine (Heroic Horses)

"Y'know what?" Jasmine said, an angry look coming across her face, "If he wants to be as immature as a newborn joey? So be it, it's game on!"

XXX

"Faster Gwen!" Jasmine barked, an angry look overcoming her face as she growled as Shawn's figure gained on her teammate.

Gwen looked down with an incredulous look on her face, "Yeah, I'll go faster when I know I'm not about to impale my hand with a rusty nail!"

"Alejandro! Pull me faster, I can take it!" Shawn shouted, his natural competitiveness overtaking itself as he wanted to beat Jasmine.

Alejandro grunted as annoyed look crossed his face, "And risk-"

BOOM!

"AHHH!" Gwen and Shawn started yelling as they fell, the blowback from the explosion too intense for them to hold on.

XXX

Confessional: Alejandro (Villainous Vipers)

"Jasmine makes Heather look like a good girlfriend." Alejandro said with a wry smile, a fond look on his face, before his face flustered slightly, "N-Not that I'm saying she's my girlfriend, just that… Ugh."

XXX

"What's this?" Chris asked curiously over his loudspeaker as he squinted, "What does Sky have in her hand?"

Sky smiled smugly as she discreetly revealed what looked like a miniature metal detector.

XXX

Confessional: Sky (Wildest Weasels)

"B suspected that the hidden surprises Chris had in store for us might be explosives, so he prepared a metal detector from the junk that was inside of his trench coat in advance! He's a resourceful guy." Sky smiled, seemingly relieved that somebody was reliable on her team.

XXX

Confessional: B (Wildest Weasels)

B just gave a smug look to the camera as he winked and shot a finger gun.

XXX

Relay Race Part 3: Bon Appetit

Leshawna & Sammy vs Heather & Jo vs Noah & Topher

"HURRY UP!" Heather screamed as Alejandro & Shawn fell behind. "Unbelievable!"

Sky and B rushed to their teammates as they tagged them into the challenge. "Go guys! Go!"

Noah took the lid off of the silver platter, and looked at the contents in confusion? "Jelly beans?" The Bookworm observed, "Ten of them, at that."

"Seriously? Chris's idea of gross food is jelly beans?" Topher scoffed as he picked up a jelly bean and popped one into his mouth, "Easy as… Uhh, aghh?"

Topher began clawing at his throat as a noticeable swelling overtook him, "W-Why…?" Before falling onto the floor, having a hard time breathing.

"HAHA! Seems like Topher just discovered our Poison Ivy jelly bean! Chef, take him to medical as Noah will be eating the rest of the jelly beans by himself!"

Topher could only respond by vomiting out some bile.

"Ooh, and a small time penalty for the Wildcards too!"

XXX

Confessional: Topher (Wildest Weasels)

"POISON IVY?!" Topher screamed in disbelief, "CHRIS IS A DEAD MAN!"

XXX

Being left to finish his part of the challenge alone, Noah picked up a jelly bean warily. "Well then, here goes nothing…" And popped one into his own mouth. Noah chewed on it, expecting some sort of allergic reaction, but instead he paused and seemed heavily disturbed.

XXX

Confessional: Noah (Wildest Weasels)

"Pretty sure I just ate a jelly bean made out of Owen's fart." Noah deadpanned, directing an unimpressed look at the camera, "Don't ask how I know it's his, I just… Know…"

XXX

After having mutually thrashed around with each other, Alejandro & Shawn and Gwen & Jasmine finally completed their parts of the challenge, allowing for their respective teams to try and catch up with Noah who had eaten about six jelly beans cautiously.

Jo on the other hand decided to throw caution to the wind as she picked up nine jelly beans and handed one to Heather, "Just chew, don't even think about what you're eating, the faster we eat this, the more likely we won't even taste anything!"

Jo shoved all nine jelly beans into her mouth and began to chew quickly. She paused for a brief moment, allowing the flavors to overwhelm her mouth, before violently vomiting on Heather, covering her head to toe in vomit.

"JO!" Heather shrieked, her body trembling in disgust, "YOU'VE JUST COST US THE CHALLENGE!"

"Heather's right!" Chris said, laughing uncontrollably as he witnessed the sight, "That's going to be a huge time penalty! Let's hope the other teams suck just as badly as you do!"

"JUST EAT THE LAST JELLY BEAN!" Jo shouted, an angry look overcoming her face.

Heather turned her head away snootily, "I don't think so! We're going to attend elimination and I'm so going to vote you off-"

Heather wasn't allowed to finish her sentence as Jo tackled her to the ground and began wrestling with her to try and force feed her to eat the last jelly bean, "YOU'RE EATING IT!"

"GET OFF OF ME, SHE-OGRE!"

They continued to struggle with each other before Jo finally forced the last jelly bean into Heather's mouth.

Heather chewed for a few moments, expecting the worst, before shrugging in contentment. "Candy floss, lucky me."

"Eighteen minute time penalty for barfing up nine jelly beans!"

XXX

Confessional: Jo (Villainous Vipers)

"CANDY FLOSS!?" Jo screamed in frustration, "Just you wait Heather, I'm going to DANCE when you get voted off!"

XXX

Confessional: Heather (Villainous Vipers)

"I lied, that was definitely soap or something." Heather muttered in disgust, before a catty smile overcame her face, "I just wanted to annoy Jo."

XXX

With Heather and Jo waiting out their time penalty and Noah on his eighth jelly bean, Leshawna and Sammy decided not to repeat the villain's mistake and instead decided to take a jelly bean at the same time to try and catch up to Noah. They had eaten four jelly beans and were on their fifth and sixth when Leshawna had an unusual reaction, grabbing at her own throat.

"Oh no." Leshawna said, her voice turning scratchy as rashes began appearing, "I just ate some pineapple."

"Oh no!" Sammy exclaimed worriedly, finishing her own dirt flavored jelly bean, "Chris! Leshawna's having an allergic reaction! She needs help!"

"Good luck girl, you've got this!" Leshawna said as she gave a thumbs up before being carted away by Chef.

"To her credit, Leshawna didn't vomit anything!" Chris announced over the loudspeaker, "If Sammy manages to pick up the pace, she could catch up and allow her team to take the lead in the challenge!"

Sammy bit her lips as she looked at her competition. Noah had already moved onto the final part of the challenge, having done only two minutes of his time penalty ages ago. And it wouldn't be long before Jo and Heather's time penalty was over too.

XXX

Confessional: Sammy (Heroic Horses)

"Amy has made me eat worse things than these jelly beans!" Sammy said, her voice full of determination.

XXX

Sammy decided to eat all of the jelly beans like Jo had done and chew as fast as possible. She visibly grimaced, but forced herself to swallow everything.

"I'M DONE!" Sammy shouted, opening her mouth to prove she had swallowed everything.

"AND SAMMY MOVES ON FOR THE HEROES! ARE THE VILLAINS ABSOLUTELY COOKED HERE? WE'LL SEE!"

Relay Race Part 4: Mad Dash Minefield

Brick & Duncan vs Dave & Lightning vs Dawn & Scarlett

"So do you have a tangible strategy here?" Scarlett asked as she allowed Dawn to guide her through the minefield by hand.

Dawn raised a brow, confused by Scarlett's question. "Strategy isn't required for navigating negative energy, you just sense it. Like yours for instance, no need to feel so pessimistic, you just need to have a little faith in me."

Scarlett decided not to comment on Dawn's observation, even if she frowned disapprovingly.

XXX

Confessional: Scarlett (Wildest Weasels)

"Dawn's primary strategy appears to be listening to her own intuition." Scarlett said dryly, "I can't say I find this particular strategy fruitful, but I am remiss to admit that Dawn has a history of being consistently correct regarding her hunches. For now I will go along with it."

XXX

Confessional: Dawn (Wildest Weasels)

"Scarlett certainly is agnostic." Dawn said thoughtfully, "I sensed that she did not want to trust me, but had no grounds for not believing in me either. She reminds me of Noah in that way, though perhaps a teeny bit more malicious."

XXX

"I'm here!" Sammy wheezed, clutching her knees as she tagged Brick and Duncan. "Go guys!"

"Aww yeah! Let's do this!" Brick cheered as he ran straight into the minefield.

Duncan widened his eyes at his teammates reckless behavior, "I wouldn't-"

BOOM!

"AHHHHH!" Brick yelled as he was launched into the sky, overtaking Scarlett and Dawn who watched in amazement as he landed at the finish line!

"UHH, BRICK MAKES IT TO THE FINISH LINE FIRST?" Chris said over the loudspeaker, a look of bemusement on his face, "EVEN IF IT SEEMS TO HAVE KNOCKED HIM UNCONSCIOUS, HUT TO IT DUNCAN THIS IS EMBARRASSING!"

XXX

Confessional: Duncan (Heroic Horses)

"Look, just because Brick's luck is insane doesn't mean I trust my own luck to do the same." Duncan clarified with an exaggerated sigh, annoyed at his teammate's good fortune.

XXX

Dave was getting antsy. He really wanted to win this challenge but he was beginning to think that was impossible. They still had at least another thirty seconds left of penalty time, but the other teams were just that much further ahead. Dawn and Scarlett were practically at the finish line, meaning he and Lightning were going to have to catch up to Duncan who was cleverly using rocks he found on the ground to experiment where any potential minefields might be, setting a few off that he was able to avoid in the process.

"One, four, seven, nine! One, four, seven, nine!"

Not to mention Dave had been listening to Lightning doing star jumps for nearly thirty minutes now and it was grinding his gears.

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP?!" Dave yelled angrily, causing Lightning to snort in amusement.

"C'mon string bean, you might as well do some star jumps with me." Lightning said in a mocking tone, "You could use the exercise."

"And you could learn to open up a math book once in a while!" Dave retorted snarkily, "What kind of idiot can't count to four anyways?"

"Uhh, are you sha-dumb?" Lightning asked, getting in Dave's face, "I'm saying four during my counting!"

"That's not-" Dave began to say, before being interrupted by Chris's loudspeaker.

"TIME'S UP VILLAINS! GET GOING!"

Lightning picked Dave up by the collar of his shirt, threw him on his back, and began running. "Hold on tight string bean, we're gonna have a bumpy ride ahead of us!" Lightning grinned as he began running, setting off minefields behind him.

"DAWN AND SCARLETT HAVE MADE IT TO THE FINISH LINE! SECURING FIRST PLACE FOR THE WILDCARDS!"

Distant cheers could be heard as Duncan flinched at the amount of explosives he heard being set off. He looked behind him and noticed that Lightning was gaining on him with no care in the world for any explosives he set off.

"Crap." Duncan said out loud, having to make a split second decision in which he would either win or lose the challenge for his team.

XXX

Confessional: Duncan (Heroic Horses)

"Look, I don't usually do things that could kill me." Duncan said a little sarcastically, "But attending an elimination ceremony with Heroes who are more than willing to vote me off? I need a bit more time to make sure things work out for me first."

XXX

Much to the surprise of everyone spectating, Duncan began sprinting throughout the minefield, screaming in terror as he heard explosives being set off behind him.

BOOM!

"AHHHH!" Lightning yelled, using the trajectory of a minefield to blast himself ahead of Duncan, causing the delinquent to curse out loud. It was a tight race to see who would cross the finish line first, however the one who crossed the finish line first was…

…

…

…

Lightning.

"NO!" Duncan yelled, a look of panic crossing his face.

"THIS JUST IN… THE HEROIC HORSES COME IN SECOND! SECURING THEIR SAFETY FROM ELIMINATION, I'LL BE SEEING YOU AGAIN VILLAINOUS VIPERS!" Chris announced impishly.

"SHA-WHAT?!" Lightning yelled in outrage, a scary look crossing his face, "But I beat Duncan here first!"

"True." Chris shrugged, "However, that doesn't mean the same for your teammate called Dave, who is not here, but rather stuck over there…"

Chris pointed his finger in a general direction, allowing for everyone to follow his line of sight as they all witnessed a disgruntled Dave struggling to get out of a tree.

"IS ANYBODY GOING TO GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!?" Dave yelled, sulking that he had lost the challenge for his team.

XXX

Confessional: Lightning (Villainous Vipers)

"NO!" Lightning yelled in outrage, slamming the table in front of him as multiple contents fell off the table, "I BEAT DUNCAN FAIR AND SQUARE, IT AIN'T MY FAULT CHICKEN LEGS FAILED TO HOLD ON!"

XXX

Confessional: Dave (Villainous Vipers)

"In my defense it isn't exactly like Lightning gave me any warning of what would be happening!" Dave defended himself, "Hold on I'm running super fast, and hold on I'm going to make sure we explode are two very different things!"

XXX

The Villains took their seats around the campfire as Chris held a platter with six marshmallows on it. "This is a symbol of safety. If you receive a marshmallow it means that you're safe. If you don't? That means your team has decided that you must walk down the dock of shame."

The team were tense as they threw each other hateful glares. Heather & Jo and Dave & Lightning in particular were throwing each other nasty looks.

"Courtney." Chris decided to pick on first, "You're the one who gave your team a disadvantage since the very beginning of the challenge. If you had gone a little quicker, do you think you would have won?"

"I'd like to see everyone else here work with a Rat before judging what I had to deal with today." Courtney replied testily.

Heather smirked at her answer, "I don't know, I think Rats suit you pretty well."

Before Courtney could retort, Chris moved onto the next camper. "Shawn, your relationship issues with Jasmine caused your team to fall even further behind. Is that any reason to vote you off?"

Shawn seemed annoyed at being called out like this, "If anything my relationship issues gave us a chance to come back in the challenge." Shawn explained, rolling his eyes.

"Jo. Nine jelly beans, big barf, big time penalty." Chris mocked, accentuating each word.

Jo growled, "Get to the point, McLain."

"You made your team fall behind further than anybody else today. Why shouldn't you be voted off today?"

"You don't have to answer that." Heather cut in nonchalantly, "She's dead weight so she's getting voted off this elimination."

"AT LEAST I ATE THE JELLY BEANS!" Jo shouted angrily, "YOU WOULDN'T EVEN EAT ONE TILL I FORCED YOU!"

"Because you were covered in vomit? Full offence, but vomit looks way better on you than me." Heather smiled cattily.

Jo got up from her seat to attack Heather, but before she could Chris intervened. "Lightning! Dave! The biggest losers of all-"

"I WON THE CHALLENGE!" Lightning cried in anger, directing a hateful glare at Dave, "PUT ME ON A TEAM OF ONE! I CAN'T BE WITH THESE JOKERS!"

"Oh, you know how to count to one? I'm impressed." Dave replied sarcastically.

Lightning growled and also made a move to attack Dave, but Chris intervened again, not wanting an all out brawl to happen before announcing the elimination.

"Since you're the only one who didn't mess up today, I'm giving the first marshmallow to Alejandro."

Alejandro caught his marshmallow, throwing a flirtatious look at Heather who looked away from him defiantly.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... Shawn."

"Really?" Shawn said in a moderate amount of surprise as he caught his marshmallow.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... Courtney."

Courtney breathed a deep sigh of relief as she caught her marshmallow.

"That's everyone who didn't receive a vote tonight." Chris said, causing the remaining four players of Heather, Jo, Lightning and Dave to tense at the announcement. "You four all received at least one vote against you tonight."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... Heather."

"In your face!" Heather gloated delightfully at Jo.

"... And Jo."

"Right back atcha." Jo grinned cockily, causing Heather's smirk to quickly vanish.

"Boys this is the final marshmallow of the evening." Chris announced as Lightning and Dave exchanged fierce glances at each other. "Lightning, your man-baby outburst at losing the challenge has made you look pathetic to the team. You're generally not likeable, however, you did almost win the challenge for your team."

"Sha-yeah! That's why we need to be voting off dead weight!" Lightning said.

"And Dave, you cost your team the challenge. However, your easy to approach manner and non threatening presence makes you a more ideal ally."

"Uhh, is that supposed to be a compliment?" Dave asked unsurely.

"This final marshmallow of the evening goes to…"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Dave looked at the marshmallow, unsure of the outcome. Meanwhile, Lightning was puffing his chest and giving everyone a dazzling smile.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"... Dave. Lightning, you've been voted off!"

"SHA-WHAT!?" Lightning yelled, completely shell shocked. "THIS IS AN OUTRAGE! A ROBBERY! I DEMAND A RECOUNT!"

"I thought you didn't know how to count?" Chris asked with a puzzled look on his face, "Seems counterintuitive. Regardless, the votes don't lie! Lightning, the dock of shame awaits!"

Lightning turned on the rest of his team. "Good luck winning challenges without me! I hope every single one of you gets voted off!" He seethed in anger. Not waiting for anyone's reply, he angrily marched his way to the boat of losers. However, he decided to turn around one last time, "Especially you Jo! I know you're somehow behind this! You'll regret this!"

XXX

Confessional: Jo (Villainous Vipers)

"As hilarious as that was," Jo began with a smirk on her face, "I actually had nothing to do with Brightning's elimination, shockingly enough."

XXX

"With a Jock losing a sports challenge, what do the Villains really have left?" Chris asked the cameras pointedly, as the camera slowly zoomed in on the defeated looking Villains, who scowled in response and looked away. "Will they be able to pull out a win? Or are they about to become the next Team Victory? Find out on the next episode of TOTAL! DRAMA! HEROES VS VILLAINS VS WILDCARDS!"

Voting Confessionals:

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Alejandro: "Tough choice all around. My ideal target here would have been Shawn, but that seems improbable... I will cast my vote against Lightning. As tempting as it might be to vote for Jo, she keeps Heather on her toes, making her an invaluable member of the team as she keeps Heather loyal to me."

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Courtney: "No vote. If I did? It would be for Heather."

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Dave: "Lightning. Please let it be Lightning."

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Heather: "Vomit Jo."

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Jo: "Candy Floss Heather, I still can't believe that's what she was whining about all this time!"

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Lightning: "DAVE!"

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Shawn: "Dave's my ally for now and I can't really be having anyone holding a grudge against him. I vote for Lightning. Besides, it just means we get to play the middle between the two duos of Alejandro & Heather and Courtney & Jo, that's like finding a bunker of food in a zombie apocalypse!"

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Votes for Lightning: Alejandro, Dave, Shawn (3)

Votes for Dave: Lightning (1)

Votes for Heather: Jo (1)

Votes for Jo: Heather (1)

No Vote: Courtney (1)

Heroic Horses: Brick, Cody, Duncan, Gwen, Jasmine, Leshawna, Sammy, Zoey (8)

Villainous Vipers: Alejandro, Courtney, Dave, Heather, Jo, Shawn (6)

Wildest Weasels: B, Dawn, Mike, Noah, Scarlett, Sierra, Sky, Topher (8)

Eliminated: Lightning

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23rd: Lightning

24th: Scott

25th: Lindsay

26th: Harold

27th: Owen

28th: Cameron

29th: Amy

30th: Sugar

A/N: I'm back! I know it's been a long while since I have updated this story! Similarly to the previous chapter, this is another chapter I was struggling to properly set up as it is borderline a filler episode for the sole purpose of eliminating Lightning and advancing everyone else's stories. Because of it I was having a serious case of writer's block and admittedly lost a bit of interest in this story for a few months. However the fanatic came back alive in me very recently and I decided to get this chapter out of the way! I promise that this is the last chapter I'll dread writing for the near future as I have fully planned out the next four chapters! All in plot, challenges and eliminations! So the next few updates should hopefully be a little quicker (and hopefully the next chapter will be before Halloween!)

Now to speak a little bit on Lightning. He was a character I had a really hard time writing this season. My original plans for him was to eliminate him in chapter 3! Where he would lose against Zoey in the Awakeathon challenge and be voted off similarly for being his arrogant self in canon. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how unrealistic this would have been overall. The girls at the time were much more volatile than the boys, so it only made sense to eliminate Amy instead due to her overall inexperience and awful social skills. I then considered what I wanted to do with Lightning, and originally I was going to keep him around till the merge where he would win the first three immunity challenges before getting voted off for being too big of a threat. I scrapped this altogether. I then decided I would try to fit what I wanted everyone else to do first within the story and fit Lightning wherever was necessary, which is why he ultimately places 23rd this season. Sorry to the Lightning fans, he's definitely someone I need more experience writing for before even thinking of letting him get super far in any of my future stories!

I hope you were all able to find some joy in this chapter regardless of my burnout! I'll be the first to admit that this is probably my weakest chapter since the early days I started writing this story, but I promise that the next few episodes will make sense once you all have the context!

LaCuevademigustos: "Yeah, I knew there would be mixed reactions to Mal! And while he will be making a more prominent appearance in the story, I will be interpreting him very differently from how canon did, so I hope you have a little bit of faith in me to write him tactfully. Well, as tactful as you can. I'm glad you're struggling to see whose going to be eliminated next! It means I'm doing a decently good job of keeping everyone relevant and that's all I can ask for really! We'll see more Skave! They've just had a lot of moments so far that they have definitely taken a bit of a backburner for the time being. I'm glad I surprised you with Scott's elimination, since Lightning WAS the disposable Viper. However I will always value making sure that the story makes as much as sense as possible, and I think eliminating a non-threat like Lightning when Scott/Courtney are available would have been a strategical error from Alejandro's perspective. This chapter being the exception due to tensions being insanely high, so Alejandro had less sway this elimination than he did in the previous one where he decidedly voted off Scott."

SuperSonicHeroes: "Scott was a victim of playing arguably one of the better games on his tribe. You have Heather, Courtney and Jo who are all at each other's necks to varying degrees, Dave and Shawn who are clear outsiders, alongside Lightning who is such a non-issue strategically. It only made sense for Alejandro to target the most stable player on the team, which happened to be Scott. I'm glad you're enjoying Mal! I'm writing him under the current context that he doesn't quite understand what's happening with the game yet, so his natural instinct was to just be a little terrorist. As for Mike and Zoey's relationship...? My lips are sealed. It would be an interesting thing to explore Courtney's feelings about Gwen and Duncan after Scott's elimination, but her priorities lay somewhere else for the time being! I'm also excited to expand on the relationship between B and Scarlett as that's a pairing I admittedly adore to death."

Tjm: "Yeah, Shawn needs to get better at keeping his mouth shut."

Guest: "I'm glad you caught onto the fact that Courtney selfishly kept her idol! Despite all of the positive progress she's making, she's still priority #1 on her list."

Metal Face: "I'm sorry you feel that way, but this is my story, so I hope you can like it regardless!"

theboiishere12345: "Totally valid criticism about the third-person view of Mal's perspective, I'll keep this in consideration for the future! Despite at large what the fandom believes I do believe there is substance between Gwen and Duncan that is absolutely worth exploring and regardless of the end result of their relationship I'm hoping to have explored that depth as deeply as possible."

Guest 2: "Valid opinion to have on Gwuncan, I try to condense the story as much as possible so you can skim through the bits of the chapter that you're interested in reading about! We'll see who outlasts who between Dawn and Noah!"

dperson3569: "Zoey is genuinely the perfect person to mediate the situation between Duncan and Gwen. After all she had friendly relationships with both of them in canon, and I was willing to use any sort of excuse to get all three of them on the same team to bond with each other! And you pretty much hit the nail on the head when it came to what temporarily brought Mal back, which was his environment and even explained his behaviors for why he acted the way that he did! Nice bit of analysis! You'd think Shawn would have been an easier target, right? However with the Villains? They wouldn't have been able to help themselves, which is why they self-imploded in the way that they did! I'm glad you're enjoying the team swaps! It was pretty clear to me that they weren't properly utilized in their original teams, which is why I swapped them to give them more relevance! Again, fair criticism about Mike's personalities not really appearing before Mal showed up, which I'm going to try and focus on a bit more so all of Mike's personalities can shine in one way or another."

lampeandrew1: "I can reassure you that Cody has a very important role to play in this story, even if it's not too apparent just yet... Stay tuned!"

- Iris Nightingale