The camera focuses on Chris at the end of the Dock of Shame. "Last time on Total Drama Island." The scene cuts to flashbacks of the previous episode. "We threw the contestants into the woods, and then hoped they'd be able to find their way back. Which they did, so we don't have to fill out death certificates. Each of them had their own ways of getting back, most of which involved working with someone else, sometimes with someone from another team. Like Luz and Korra, who may or may not have something going on. Or Kim and Kevin, who may or may not have something going on. Or Dipper and Steven, who…actually, no, I think those two are just friends. Anyway, in the end, Jenny was the first one back, getting herself an Immunity Statue, while Jake was the last back, getting himself eliminated. Also, Lincoln got his Statue destroyed, which should be grounds for instant elimination, but the producers won't let me do that." The scene cuts back to Chris on the Dock. "Another day, another action-packed episode. Who's soon going to be standing here as they board the Boat of Losers? Only one way to find out: right here, on Total. Drama. Island."
Intro song plays.
The contestants were sitting down for breakfast of the next challenge. Most were looking around, seeing if there was any kind of clue for what Chris had planned, but finding nothing.
Confession Cam: Kevin
"So, our biggest threat is probably Team Checkmate. They've only lost one member, while us and Golden Lion have lost three each. We need to balance that, and Chris not giving us any kind of clue to strategize in regards to that makes it VERY difficult."
Confession Cam: Jenny
"I feel Chris's next challenge is going to consider the fact that four of us finished the last challenge in approximately eight seconds. Though if he doesn't do that, I'm not complaining."
Confession Cam: Tulip
"Hopefully the next challenge is a little more relaxed. I doubt I would have had to do anything so physical if I'd gotten to go to coding camp."
"Campers, in fifteen minutes your next challenge will begin," announced Chris. "Meet me at the rec centre to receive it."
"We have a rec centre?" asked Steven, just as a loud boom was heard from outside. The contestants ran to the window, to see several helicopters had just dropped a large building outside, opposite their cabins.
"Yes, we have a rec centre now," said Chris over the loudspeakers. "See you soon."
"What do you think he's put in there?" asked Luz.
"Knowing Chris, probably some kind of death trap," said Ben.
"Hey, let's not be so pessimistic," said Mikey. "He might have put in a…uh…I got nothing."
"A super death trap?" suggested Kevin.
"…yeah, probably that," said Mikey.
"Hopefully it's just regular games and stuff," said Jessica. "Just a nice, laid-back challenge, you know?"
"You know damn well that's not going to happen," said Mandy.
"Hence why I said 'hopefully'," said Jessica.
"Well, whatever it is, we're about to find out," said Eliza, heading out the door.
"Does anyone want to entertain the thought that, by 'rec centre', Chris actually means 'wreck centre'?" asked Danny. "As in he expects us to wreck the place?"
"Or maybe he expects us to get wrecked," said Kim. "Don't rule that out when it comes to Chris."
"It had better be that," said Buttercup, cracking her knuckles as she followed the others out. "I've been itching for something to punch."
"What exactly did she just crack?" asked Korra. "She doesn't even have fingers."
"I have no idea," said Dipper.
At the rec centre…
"Whoa, this place is awesome," said Tulip. "Look at all the vintage arcade games."
"Cool it Tulip," said Ben, grabbing her before she could get too distracted. "Chris has a challenge coming for us."
"It's fine, she can play them," said Chris, entering the building. "Since it's related to today's challenge."
"Really? We're actually playing video games?" asked Lincoln, suspicious of what Chris had planned.
"Well, kinda," said Chris.
"There it is," said Kevin. "What are we doing, running from colourful ghosts? Dodging traffic across a busy highway? Playing table tennis?"
"…okay, I don't know who told you that, but they are so fired," said Chris.
"Wait, Kevin was right? That's actually what we're doing?" asked Dexter.
"Yeah, it is," said Chris. "Today challenge is, you're playing video games…"
"Sweet," said Tulip, running towards one of the machines.
"…in real life," said Chris. "You'll be recreating some of the classics people over 40 will claim is 'true gaming', whatever that means."
"This doesn't sound that difficult," said Jenny.
"I'm glad you said that," said Chris.
"WHY?! Why would you say that around him?" asked Lincoln.
"I don't know, it just kind of slipped out," said Jenny.
"Every part of the game will be recreated by you guys," said Chris. "Even the parts we don't need to recreate. Because I'm cruel like that."
"…alright, I'll bite," said Lincoln with a sigh. "What do you mean by 'parts we don't need to recreate'?"
"I'll take that as 'I volunteer'," said Chris, grabbing Lincoln and throwing him into a giant ball. "Checkmate, Power Mouse, you guys will be the first ones up, and you'll be playing Pong."
"Ah, crap," said Lincoln, realising what was about to happen.
"Okay, I'm confused," said Korra. "What's Pong?"
"Do you not have video games where you're from?" asked Danny.
"What's a video game?" asked Korra.
"It's a game you play on a computer," explained Jenny.
"What's a computer?" asked Korra.
"I feel like this conversation is going nowhere," said Jenny. "Look, Pong is basically just table tennis."
"…okay, I feel like you guys think I'm an idiot for all these questions already," said Korra. "And that's why I hesitate to ask this, but what's table tennis?"
"Look, all you need to know is that the ball Lincoln's in is about to get bashed around," said Eliza. "A lot."
"Oh," said Korra. "Why didn't you say so in the first place?" And with that, Korra suddenly became extremely interested in the match.
"Alright campers," said Chris from the judge's chair on the side. "We have a lot to get through today, so we're just going to go first to three, got it?"
"Thank God for that," said Lincoln from within the ball.
"Shut up in there, or I'll put it up to ten," said Chris.
"…I'll be good," said Lincoln.
"That's better," said Chris. "Checkmate, are you guys ready?"
"Ready Chris," said Ben, in the form of Four-Arms.
"Power Mouse, how about you?" asked Chris.
"Bring it on," said Luz.
"Okay, PLAY BALL!" yelled Chris, blowing a whistle. The ball stayed exactly where it was. "I said, play ball."
"If I stay perfectly still, nothing bad can happen to me," said Lincoln.
"Actually, I'm gonna make it worse for you," said Chris. "Would one of you guys with superpowers kindly start the ball rolling?"
"One moment," said Four-Arms, smacking his fist into the ground. The ball immediately started to roll towards Power Mouse's side.
"…I should have seen this coming," said Lincoln, as Kim and Kevin got into position to push the ball back. "If I survive this, I need to remember to never speak when Chris says something that implies bad things will happen." Steven and Buttercup pushed the ball back as hard as they could when it reached their side, bouncing it violently off the wall. "Yep, definitely keeping my mouth shut from now on."
The two teams went back and forth for a little while, until eventually the game was at 2-2. "Match point," said Chris. "You doing okay in there Lincoln?" There was the sound of something like vomiting, followed by a moan that sounded like 'kill me'. "He's fine," said Chris. "Okay, game on guys."
"Alright guys, we can do this," said Tulip. "It's seven of us against five of them. All we have to do is…"
"Uhh, is now a bad time to point out they just pushed the ball across the line while you were talking?" asked Steven.
"Oh…oops," said Tulip. "Well, at least it was fun, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so," said Ben, transforming back into his normal self. "Good game guys."
"Same to you," said Kevin, shaking his hand.
Lincoln kicked open the door to the door, and stuck his head out. "Not for me," he said, before throwing up again.
"Okay Checkmate, since you lost, one of you has to be the ball for the next game," said Chris. "And before you ask, no we don't have time to clean it out."
"And now I regret winning the game," said Kevin, realising what would happen after they faced Golden Lion.
"Look, I have a shield, I can just keep the puke off me with that," said Steven.
"And I can fly, so I'll just avoid the flying puke before it hits me," said Buttercup.
"I think you guys are forgetting a more important thing," said Tulip. "Why avoid it ourselves, when we can make someone we don't like deal with it."
Mandy immediately realised what she was saying. "If you even think about it…" she began, before Tulip and Ben grabbed her and threw her into the ball. "YOU WILL SUFFER THE PAIN OF A THOUSAND DEATHS WHEN I'M THROUGH WITH YOU! Trust me, I know the Reaper."
"She couldn't possibly know him, could she?" asked Ben.
"I don't know, he's right here in her audition tape," said Chris, showing them a still frame from Mandy's audition.
"…yikes, that might have been a mistake," said Tulip, as Danny pushed the ball towards Power Mouse.
"Well, there's not much we can do about that now," said Ben. "Besides, it's not like he's here to do anything."
"Hmm…" said Chris, before pulling out his phone. "Hey, can we organise something for the next episode? …yeah, I can get that done…excellent, thanks."
Meanwhile, the members of Power Mouse and Golden Lion played their game, and were none too gentle with the ball, often shoving the ball far harder than necessary. "Is it just me, or do any of you guys sense a dark presence coming from the ball?" asked Luz.
"I don't even know how to do that, and I can," said Dipper, pushing the ball back with as much force as he could.
"Neither can I," said Luz. "That's how worried I am."
"Are we gonna stop pushing the ball so hard?" asked Dipper.
"Hell no," said Luz, kicking the ball as hard as she could when it came back.
The continued for a little while longer, until Golden Lion finally managed to get the final goal, winning the game. "Alright, Checkmate vs Golden Lion. Checkmate, you guys need to win to tie this up."
The door to the ball suddenly flew open, and flames erupted from the door as Mandy exited, covered in puke and looking incredibly pissed. "And if we don't win…" started Mandy, not bothering to finish the sentence, since the look in her eyes made it clear she'd hold the rest of her team responsible if they didn't.
"Well, the plan is…" started Tulip.
"Don't bother making a plan," snapped Mandy. "Hit the ball at them, try and break them if you can."
"Mandy, that seems a bit extreme," said Steven.
"Did you just spend the last ten minutes inside that ball?" asked Mandy. "No, you didn't. I'll ask for your opinion when you have."
"Power Mouse, who's going in the ball?" asked Chris.
"I'll do it," said Kevin. "I'm not gonna make any of you do something I wouldn't be prepared to do myself."
"Are you sure about this Kevin?" asked Kim.
"Just have some disinfectant and a sick bag ready for me," said Kevin. "I think I'm gonna need it."
"There goes a brave man," said Mikey.
"He's gonna die, isn't he?" asked Dipper.
"Probably," said Luz, as Eliza started off the game.
"We have a numbers advantage, there's no reason why we shouldn't win this," said Tulip. "Ben, Steven, Buttercup, spread out to help us weaker guys, okay?"
"Who are you calling weak?" snapped Mandy.
"Uh, compared to the two aliens and a superhero, I think it's safe to assume you're weak by comparison," said Tulip.
Mandy glared at her. "Take it back," she said.
"You know what? No," said Tulip. "Accept it: for as scary and tough as you act, you're still just a regular human."
"I said: take it BACK!" yelled Mandy, launching herself at Tulip. The two fell to the floor, punching, kicking, and biting each other relentlessly.
"Uhh…should we do something about this?" asked Jessica.
"What, exactly?" asked Dexter. "Pretty sure anything we do will just lead to us being dragged into the fight."
"Guys, incoming," said Steven, as the ball flew at them. As him and Ben got ready to push it back, Mandy and Tulip (still wrestling on the floor) rolled in their direction, tripping the two of them up and allowing the ball to go through.
"Okay, seriously?" asked Ben, grabbing the back of Mandy's dress, while Steven grabbed Tulip. "Guys, I get that you hate each other, but we're in the middle of a challenge. Can you put it behind you for, like, an hour or so until we're done?"
"I will if she will," said Mandy.
"I won't," said Tulip.
"In that case, Buttercup?" asked Mandy.
"One second," said Buttercup, launching the ball back at Team Golden Lion, getting a yelp from Kevin. "What's up?"
"Let me continue to crush her," said Mandy.
"Umm…in the middle of a challenge?" asked Buttercup, as the ball started to come back at them.
"Yes, now," said Mandy, struggling against Ben's grip.
"Okay," said Buttercup, picking up Ben and throwing him (and Mandy) at Steven (and Tulip). The two girls continued their brawl, now with the two boys stuck in the middle of it. "Now, about that ball…" As she looked up, she saw the ball come barrelling down the field, knocking her to the ground.
Dexter and Jessica looked at the chaos their team had dissolved into in disbelief. "We're screwed, aren't we?" asked Jessica.
"I think so," said Dexter, going over to the ball, intending to send it back. Unfortunately, he got too close to the fight, and got dragged in himself.
"Make that definitely," said Jessica. "Hey Chris, can we forfeit?"
"Nope," said Chris. "Just send the ball back, you'll be fine."
"Uhh…" started Jessica, looking at the three superpowered members of the other team, ready to send the ball back at something close to the sound barrier. "Yeah, I'm sure that me, by myself, will be fine."
"Of course you will," said Chris. "In fact, Kevin will even give you a hand, right Kevin?" In response, Kevin (who was dazed and confused from having been thrown around so much) fell over, causing the ball to start rolling towards the other side. "See? He's such a good guy."
Jessica sighed in defeat. "Well, here goes," she said, giving the ball the hardest push she could. The ball slowly rolled towards the other team, who could only watch as it got slowly closer and closer to them. As soon as it got into range, Danny and Jenny blasted the ball as hard as hard could, sending it through the back wall of the stadium. "Yeah, that went about as well as could be expected."
"Ooh, so close," said Chris. "And by that, I mean not even close." Chris then noticed the rest of the team was still fighting. "Uh, guys?" There was no response. "Guys?" Still no response. "GUYS!" Finally, the rest of the team looked up. "As I was saying, Team Golden Lion already won this game…"
"WHAT?!" yelled Buttercup. "Why didn't you tell us so we could stop?"
"Are you kidding? This show is called Total DRAMA Island for a reason," said Chris. "We are going to make a killing in the ratings. Hell, I'm sending footage of that fight to the guys who makes our commercials now so he can get to work."
"So we lose?" asked Ben.
"Not yet, there's still two more games," said Chris. "Though if you want to continue fighting like that, I'm not stopping you. Now, on to the next part." Chris began leading the way to the next part of the challenge.
"Okay, we lost the first part," said Tulip. "But if we put our differences aside, I'm sure we'll be able to…"
"Apologise first," said Mandy.
"Are you still on that?" snapped Tulip. "I swear to…"
"Both of you STOP IT!" yelled Steven. "Look, I get it, you two hate each other. Fine, whatever. You don't have to like each other, but you have to co-operate. For the rest of us, if not for yourselves."
"I'm just waiting for…" said Mandy.
"I think we've established you're not getting one," said Ben. "Now, the two of you just stop fighting until the challenge is over at least."
"I don't have to stop fighting," said Mandy. "I'm immune, something none of you are. So, tread carefully, because I don't care if we lose, you guys will be the ones going home." Mandy then marched off after the rest of the contestants, leaving the rest of the team to look at each other with concern.
Later…
"Welcome to Part 2 of the challenge," said Chris, standing in front of a circular racetrack. "As you may have guessed, this one is based on Frogger."
"And let me guess: we're going to try and run across the road while the other teams try to run us down with a car?" asked Kim.
"…maybe," said Chris. "You don't know…"
"The cars are literally right there," said Tulip, pointing at the fleet of cars parked right next to them.
"Okay, maybe that's what the challenge is," said Chris. "Now, to keep things fair, you can only drive in one direction around the track. So, if you miss the contestant, you'll have to do a full circuit around the track before you get another shot at them. The island in the middle of the track is a safe zone and checkpoint. You must run to there first, and I do mean run…" As he said this, Chris gave a look to Buttercup, Jenny, Ben, and Danny. "…then across to the other side where Chef is waiting for you."
As if to illustrate the point, Chef came out, wearing a flag girl costume. "Why do I do this *beep* for you?" asked Chef.
"Because you love it," said Chris. "Okay, any questions?"
"Uh, yeah," said Lincoln. "Isn't it a tad dangerous to let us potentially get hit by a fricken car?!"
"Eh, they only go 10 miles an hour at top speed," said Chris. "You'll be fine. Probably. Maybe. The interns didn't want to test this one, so we have no idea."
"But the other team will stop if we're hit so we can get out of the way, right?" asked Jessica. "Surely that's a rule."
"Why would you act like I'd make that a rule?" asked Chris.
"Don't worry, if I hit anyone, I'll help get you out of the way," said Steven.
"I won't," said Mandy.
"And if anyone hits me, I'll help them get out of harm's way," said Jenny.
"Wait, why would someone else need help after hitting you?" asked Dipper.
"Ahem," said Jenny, tapping her chest, which returned a metallic echo.
"Oh, right, robot," said Dipper.
"Alright, so since Checkmate came last in the first challenge, I'm gonna have them run first," said Chris. "Then Power Mouse, then Golden Lion. Contestants, get in position."
"Okay guys, let's not fight each other this time," said Steven. "Just…get across the course. Can we do that?"
"I will if she will," said Tulip, glaring at Mandy.
"I won't," said Mandy.
"And that's why you'll be starting as far apart as possible," said Ben, dragging Mandy to the far end of their starting line.
"Come on Tulip, for the team? Just ignore her, at least until the challenge is over?" pleaded Steven, taking Tulip to the other end.
Tulip groaned in frustration. "Fine," she said. "But I'm only doing this for you. Just keep her away from me."
"Can do," said Steven, lining up with the others.
"Okay contestants, on your marks," said Chris, as everyone got into place. "Get set, and…GO!" Chris gave a blast from his airhorn, and the contestants took off, ducking and weaving between the cars as they got moving.
"Whoa…WHOA!" cried Jessica, narrowly avoiding two cars as she ran. "This is gonna get dangerous, isn't it?"
"Need some help?" asked Buttercup, picking her up.
"Uh, thanks," said Jessica. "But won't it get dangerous if two of us are together?"
As if to illustrate her point, a car appeared and drove straight at Buttercup, only for Buttercup to easily block it with her hand. "Nah, I think I'm good," she said. "You alright there, whoever that was?"
In response, Lincoln tumbled out of the car. "Ow…" he moaned.
"Eh, he's fine," said Buttercup. "Let's go." With that, Buttercup began sprinting across the track, easily making it to the checkpoint.
"Okay, halfway mark, and everyone's still here," said Steven as Dexter made it to the middle. "Everyone ready for part 2?"
"Bring it," said Ben. "We've got this."
"Well, maybe not all of us," said Mandy, who walked over to Tulip and pushed her onto the track.
"Why you little…" began Tulip, as one of the cars ran into her, throwing her over the car as she fell.
"TULIP!" yelled Steven, running to grab her off the track.
"It's okay, I'm okay," said Tulip, looking up at Mandy with a glare. "But she won't be." Tulip launched herself at Mandy, before trying to force her onto the track.
"Huh, I thought the car would do more damage than that," said Chris.
"You said yourself, they haven't got any speed," said Chef.
"You're right, we'll need to fix that," said Chris.
"Chris, what did I tell you about changing how the games work?" asked Chef.
Chris groaned in frustration. "That it gives an unfair advantage to other teams that could get us sued," said Chris.
"Exactly," said Chef. "Don't worry, there'll be plenty of other opportunities to mess with the contestants later."
"Yeah, I guess…" sighed Chris in defeat.
Confession Cam: Tulip
"The only reason Mandy's still standing is because I don't have my donut holer with me."
Steven and Ben dragged the two girls to the other side of the track, keeping them as separated as possible. "We're gonna be doing this all day, aren't we?" asked Steven.
"Yep," said Ben, sitting down under a tree. "But at least it's all…"
"You let go of Mandy, now she's fighting with Tulip again," pointed out Dexter.
"I know, I've stopped caring," said Ben, sitting back and watching the show.
"I'll fix it," said Steven with a sigh, going to confront the two.
"Okay, Team Checkmate, you made it across in one minute and twenty-seven seconds," said Chris. "Not bad. Now, we add on the penalty time…"
"What time penalty?" asked Jessica.
"Well, Tulip and Buttercup got hit by cars…" started Chris.
"What? I blocked the car," said Buttercup.
"It still ran into you, it still counts," said Chris. "So, now it's one minute forty-seven seconds. Still not bad, but what can Power Mouse do?"
"Hey, good news Steven, you shouldn't have to keep them separated," said Ben. "They'll have to be in different cars. How can that go badly?"
"Yes, how can having two people that hate each other behind the wheel of a ton of metal go wrong?" asked Dexter, as he went to one of the cars.
"…I can see why this might be a problem," said Ben, as he got into another of the cars that had just been abandoned.
"Okay Power Mouse, you're on a score of negative ten seconds thanks to Kevin hitting Tulip…" started Chris.
"Wait, we get time taken off for hitting the other teams?" asked Buttercup.
"Well, duh," said Chris. "The time I add on has to come from somewhere."
"Interesting," said Buttercup, looking menacingly at Team Power Mouse. Several of them gulped as Luz brought out a piece of paper, and grabbed the other's hands.
"Anyway, on your marks…" started Chris. "Set. And…GO!" Chris gave a loud blast from his airhorn, as Luz tapped the paper and took a deep breath. Suddenly, the whole team vanished from sight.
"Ugh, it's that fricken invisibility spell," said Mandy. "If I just aim at the space directly ahead of where they were, I should be able to…" Before she could finish that thought, something slammed into the side of her car.
"That's for throwing me onto the road," said Tulip, reversing out and driving off.
"Well, she's dead," said Mandy, tearing off after her.
"They're at it again," said Jessica.
"I know," said Ben. "I just…I don't care anymore."
"Even I'm getting sick of it," said Steven. "I don't think they're gonna stop."
"Hey, we're not complaining," said Korra. "Now, where are Power Mouse?"
"There," pointed Eliza. "They're already on the island."
"How did they do that so easily?" asked Korra.
"Luz," answered Danny.
"Oh, right, invisibility," said Korra. "Anyone have any ideas to stop them?"
"I have heat vision," said Jenny. "Since they're only going invisible, not intangible, I should be able to find them."
"Okay, sure," said Korra. "Just…don't hit Luz too hard. Or any of them for that matter."
"Uh…sure," said Jenny. "Just follow me, and we can get them." And with that, Jenny pulled ahead of everyone else, watching as Team Power Mouse prepared for the second part of their crossing.
"Okay Luz, are you ready for the rest of this?" asked Kevin.
"You know it," said Luz, pulling out another invisibility glyph. "Deep breaths everyone, and grab someone's hand." The group each took a deep breath, with Luz going last as she activated the glyph. The group took off at a run, focused entirely on the other side. Which is why they didn't see the line of cars coming for them until it was almost too late.
"Gotcha," said Jenny, aiming straight for the line of contestants.
Dipper, sensing something was wrong, looked up to see Jenny barrelling towards them. "WHOA!" he cried, turning visible and dragging the whole group forward, narrowly avoiding being hit. "RUN!" With his yell, Dipper took off towards the finish, diving across the line, followed closely by Kevin.
"I don't understand, how could they see us?" asked Luz.
"Sorry Luz," said Korra as she drove past. "But we are in competition."
"…yeah, that's fair," she said, as Lincoln, ploughed into her.
"YES! Got another one," said Lincoln. "And this time, they didn't break my car."
"Yeah, but I can break you," said Luz, getting back up.
"EEP!" squeaked Lincoln, taking off immediately.
"I'll get him for you," said Korra, taking off after him.
"I like her," said Luz, then realised a camera was watching her. "Don't put that in the episode."
The video zooms out to show Chris in the editor's room, working on the episode. "Oops, sorry Luz," he said, in a voice that suggested he wasn't sorry at all.
Back in the present…
"And that's everyone," said Chris, as Mikey crossed the finish line. "You started at negative ten seconds, but only one of you got hit, so those cancel each other out. That means it took you one minute and eighteen seconds to cross the track. Team Checkmate, you guys didn't hit anyone, so your time remains the same. Though I should consider adding time because Tulip hit Mandy's car. In fact, why not?"
"Damn it Tulip," said Buttercup. "Can you just let your grudge go for a little while? Just until the challenge is over?"
"I will if she will," said Tulip.
"You know damn well that I won't," said Mandy.
"Well, there's your answer," said Tulip, getting groans of frustration from the rest of the team.
"Well, Team Golden Lion, it's your turn, and you start at a handicap of negative twenty seconds," said Chris.
"All thanks to me," said Lincoln.
"Hey, if you guys feel like hitting him, we won't complain," said Korra.
"Was already planning on it," said Luz. Lincoln gulped nervously at his comment.
"Okay, everyone get into position," said Chris. "Get ready. And…GO!" Chris gave a blast from his airhorn, and everyone took off.
"Gotta keep moving, gotta keep moving," said Lincoln, narrowly dodging several cars aimed at him. "Gotta keep…WHOA!" Lincoln threw himself on the ground, as Luz's car drove over him without actually hitting him. "HA! You'll have to do better than…" Before he could finish that sentence, Kim slammed into him, throwing him several yards down the track. As he was getting up, Luz aimed her car, and got him herself.
"You mean like that?" asked Luz.
"Yeah…like that…" said Lincoln, collapsing to the road.
"Hey buddy, this isn't a good place to sleep," said Jenny, picking him up.
"Oh sweet, I can hit a second one," said Luz, aiming her car at Jenny.
"Are you sure it's a good idea to drove into a robot?" asked Jenny.
"Hmm…" pondered Luz, before slowly driving her car into Jenny, giving her a light tap. "I do now."
"Huh…fair enough," said Jenny, before continuing with the challenge.
"Wow Tulip, I'm impressed," said Steven as they were driving. "You haven't tried to hit Mandy once this round."
"That's because I haven't found her yet," said Tulip. "As soon as I do…"
"You'll do what?" asked someone behind them. Steven and Tulip glanced backwards to see Mandy run into Tulip's car, spinning her out of control.
"Oh, that is IT!" snapped Tulip, tearing off after her. Steven just shook his head in disappointment.
Meanwhile…
"Nearly there," said Danny, running for the finish line. "Just need to…"
"Get hit by me? Good idea," said Dipper, charging at Danny.
"Oh yeah?" asked Danny, turning intangible as Dipper drove through him.
"…wait, does that count as a hit?" asked Dipper.
"Yep," said Chris.
"But I was intangible. He didn't…" started Danny.
"Hey, no-one else has that ability, just is just balancing things," said Chris. "Plus, he passed through exactly where you were, therefore he hit whatever you become when you are intangible, so…yeah."
"Aww, man," said Danny, dejectedly walking across the line.
"Hey, at least you didn't have to feel being hit by a car," said Lincoln. "Twice."
"Hey, we're not complaining," said Korra. "Or at least, I'm not."
"Well, look like we're all here," said Eliza. "Chris, how'd we go?"
"One minute and twenty-six seconds," said Chris. "And you started with a negative twenty second handicap, so technically only one minute and six seconds. Impressive…if it weren't for the fact you got hit four times."
"Wait, all of those were by Team Power Mouse," said Jenny, having calculated everything. "That means…"
"Ahem, I believe I'm the host here," said Chris. "Anyway, that means Team Golden Lion finish with a time of one minute and forty-six seconds, Team Checkmate finished with one minute forty-seven, and the winners of the challenge, at a time of just thirty-eight seconds, is Team Power Mouse."
"WOO! First place," cheered Luz, celebrating with her team.
"Very good," said Chris. "But now, we need to recreate the final game: Pac-Man."
"And how do you intend to do that?" asked Kim.
"For this one, one member of each team will represent Pac-Man himself," said Chris. "And two members from each of the other teams will represent the ghosts. From there, the game will work basically like Tag. Time starts when I blow the airhorn, and stops once one of the ghosts tags Pac-Man. The one who lasts the longest wins, and like with Frogger, the one who tags Pac-Man helps their team's score. Also, so you don't just leave your fastest and strongest players in the arena the whole time, no-one can enter more than once. Any questions?"
"Yeah," said Dexter. "Does this mean two of us have to sit out, since only five of us get to play this?"
"Pretty much, yes," said Chris.
"Perfect," said Ben, turning to Tulip and Mandy. "Since you two are more focused on fighting each other than helping us, the rest of us will deal with the challenge."
"But…" started Tulip.
"No buts, we're all sick of your *beep*," said Buttercup.
"With you two out of the way, we might even be able to pull out a win of some kind," said Jessica.
"Sorry guys, but even I have to side with them on this," said Steven, as the rest of the team began discussing who should do what role.
"Wow, we really have been screwing things up for them, haven't we?" asked Tulip.
"I suppose," said Mandy.
"Do you think we could consider a temporary truce, just until the challenge is over?" asked Tulip.
"Why? We're not a part of it," said Mandy, walking away.
"Oh, you little…" growled Tulip.
Confession Cam: Tulip
"You know, being on that train taught me to try and work through my problems. But Mandy is just such a *beep*."
"Alright campers, we'll start with Pac-Man being the winners of the last game, and work down to the losers," said Chris. "So, who's gonna be Pac-Man?"
"That would be me," said Luz. "I think I can avoid the others for long enough."
"Very well, off to the starting position," said Chris. "And your ghosts will be…"
"Me and Dexter," said Steven.
"And I'll be working with Eliza," said Korra.
"Alright then, ghosts, put on your costumes," said Chris, throwing four coloured sheets at them.
"Ugh, pink," said Dexter. "Why did I have to get the pink one? I mean, what kind of boy wears pink?"
"Ahem," said Steven, wearing a pink shirt.
"Oh…uh…" stammered Dexter, as Steven took his pink sheet and gave him the blue one he'd been given. Dexter mumbled thanks as he put it on.
"Alright campers, are you ready?" asked Chris.
"Oh yeah," said Luz, pulling out an invisibility glyph.
"Oh yeah, that reminds me," said Chris. "Chef, bring in the ball."
"…oh no, not the…" started Luz, as Chef rolled in the ball from the game of Pong.
"Yep, you gotta run around in that," said Chef.
"…please tell me you cleaned it out first," said Luz.
"If it makes you feel better, yes," said Chef.
"Oh thank God," said Luz.
"Except the smell's still in there, and I missed a few spots," said Chef. "Good luck."
"…I hate you," said Luz, holding her breath as she climbed in.
"Okay, now are we ready to go?" asked Chris, pulling out the airhorn.
"For Luz's sake, just blow the thing," said Korra.
"Hmm, you seem very attached to your friend Luz there," said Chris. "Not that that's any of my business. Well, off you go." Chris blasted the airhorn, before turning to the camera. "By the way, them being so attached is totally my business. Now, how to exploit it for higher ratings…"
Down in the arena, Luz took off to the left, before immediately turning left again, zigzagging to the bottom of the course. "Ooh, this is gonna be tough," she said, as she tried to avoid going too fast and bouncing off the walls. "But at least it's not as bad as the last time I played Pac-Man." Luz shuddered at the thought of when she was eaten by The Collector.
"There she is," called Eliza, seeing her from the far end of the bottom hallway. "Someone cut off the other exits."
"On it," called Steven from somewhere above them.
"I don't suppose there's any negotiating my escape?" asked Luz.
"Of course not," said Eliza. "We're trying to win too, you know."
"Fair enough," said Luz. "Guess I'll trust have to do this then." Luz started jumping up and down on the spot, until she gained enough force that she was able to leap over the approaching Dexter.
"Is that a legal move?" asked Chef.
"Only if I allow it," said Chris.
"And are you allowing it?" asked Chef.
"Of course am I. It's more entertaining this way," said Chris.
Back in the game, Luz was running back towards where she'd started. "Hopefully there's something that turns the others dark blue," she said, before stopping where she was. "Actually, this will do much better," she said, running down the path where she'd started.
"There she is," called Steven from behind her.
"Someone be ready to jump, in case she tries to get away again," said Eliza from the other end.
"Well, doesn't look like you noticed this then," said Luz, sticking her hand out of the ball for a moment to grab the Invincibility Idol sitting there.
"And Luz grabs the Invincibility Idol," said Chris. "However, since she left the ball, she's also disqualified."
"WHAT?!" asked Luz. "Then how am I supposed to have gotten the Idol?"
"I'm kidding, getting the Idol was the sole exception to leaving the ball," said Chris. "I was just distracting you so you'd get caught."
"…oh, you *beep*," said Luz, as Eliza tagged her.
"Hey, think of it this way, you lasted a whole minute and one second," said Chris. "If the rest of you team can take out the Pac-Men quickly, you're good."
"Gee, thanks," said Luz, as she and the other contestants left the arena.
"Don't worry Luz, I think you did a good job," said Korra.
"Thanks Korra," said Luz, wrapping her arm around her.
Confession Cam: Lincoln
"Is something going on between those two?" Lincoln's eyes widen as he has a sudden realisation. "Not that I have an issue with that, one of my sisters is bi…actually, I do have an issue. Luz is the competition. Which is the only issue I have with it, I swear."
"Golden Lion, who is your Pac-Man?" asked Chris.
"That will be me," said Jenny.
"Okie dokie, sending in the robot," said Chris. "And the ghosts are…"
"Me and Kim," said Mikey.
"And I'll be teaming up with Jessica," said Buttercup.
"Alright, everyone in position," said Chris.
"A quick question before we begin," said Jenny. "Are there gonna be any more Invincibility Idols pop up?"
"Why? Luz already found it," said Chris.
"But how is that fair for the rest of us?" asked Jenny.
"Hey, if she hadn't come back to the start, it could have gone to you," said Chris. "And your order in this challenge was determined by your performance in the previous sections, so nothing about this is biased."
"…I guess that makes sense," said Jenny.
"It better," said Chris. "Now GO!" Chris blasted his airhorn, and Jenny took off as quickly as she could.
"Gotta keep moving, gotta keep moving," said Jenny, aiming for the top of the right side of the map, then immediately turning left and heading for the top.
"There she goes," said Mikey, pointing at her as she flew past.
"Well then go get her," said Buttercup.
"How? She's a superfast robot," said Mikey.
"You're acting like she can outrun you," said Buttercup dismissively.
"Because she can," said Kim. "In fact, she can probably outrun all of us."
"Not me," said Buttercup. "Just watch." And with that, Buttercup took off down to where Jenny had gone.
"You're just gonna let her catch Jenny?" asked Jessica.
"Somehow, I think she's overestimating herself," said Kim. "By the way, we might need to get ready."
Buttercup flew up to the top of the map, and saw Jenny in the middle of the hallway. "There's nowhere to run," said Buttercup, flying straight at Jenny.
"Actually, there's plenty of places for me to run," said Jenny. "Including this one." Jenny squatted down, then lifted off the ground and flew over Buttercup easily.
"Oh, by the way, if you leave the course, you're disqualified," Chris called out.
"What?" asked Jenny, falling back to the ground, only to realise she was nowhere near going out of the arena. "Why would you bring that up now?"
"To make sure you didn't go out of the course," said Chris. "By the way you might want to move."
Jenny looked over her shoulder, and saw that Buttercup had turned around and was flying straight at her again. "Right…" she sighed, heading back down the course, with Buttercup right on her tail.
Jenny continued down the path as fast as she could, so it wasn't until the last second when she saw Mikey come out of one of the side paths, reaching for her. "Gotcha," he said, arm outstretched.
"Oh no you…" started Jenny, as Mikey's fingertips just barely grazed the ball. "Huh…maybe you can."
"Wait, what?" asked Buttercup, unable to slow down in time and crashing into Jenny. "Are you telling me Mikey got her and not me?"
"That's right Buttercup," said Chris. "Jenny avoided you for one minute and twenty-five seconds, plus Eliza gave them an extra ten seconds for catching Luz, so that gives Golden Lion a total of one minute and thirty-five seconds. Now we enter the end game: Team Checkmate, who's your ghost?"
"One question before we begin," asked Steven. "Is there still any way we can win?"
"Eh, probably," said Chris. "Or not. I don't know, I haven't tallied the scores. Just act like you have a chance, just in case you do."
"Right…" said Steven.
"Anyway, who's your Pac-Man?" asked Chris.
"One moment please," said Ben, choosing an alien on his watch, before transforming into XLR8. "Okay, I'm ready."
"Alrighty then," said Chris. "So Kevin, Dipper, Lincoln, and Danny are the ghosts."
"Technically it's just me," said Danny, getting a groan from everyone else.
"Is that why you let Jenny be Pac-Man?" asked Lincoln.
"Well, that, and she's faster than me," said Danny.
"Do any of you really think you can keep up with me?" asked XLR8.
"You can't possibly be that…" started Dipper, before noticing something in XLR8's hand. "Is that my wallet?"
"And my wallet?" asked Kevin.
"And my wallet?" asked Lincoln.
"And my wallet?" asked Danny.
"AND MY WALLET?!" yelled Chris. "I should disqualify you here and now for that."
"Oops," said XLR8, blurring for a moment as one of the wallets disappeared from his hand.
"That's better," said Chris, pulling out his airhorn. "Okay, get into your costume or ball, we begin in thirty seconds."
"Do I really need to though?" asked Danny. "I already have a ghost costume." As if to emphasize the point, Danny transformed into his ghost form.
"Everyone else did it, you have to too," said Chris.
"Ugh, fine," said Danny, throwing on his sheet. "But technically, I find this racist."
"Does it look like a give a *beep*?" asked Chris. "Now get ready, and…" Chris gave a blast from his airhorn, and XLR8 took off like a bullet.
"So, how are we supposed to catch that?" asked Kevin.
"Stick out a leg and try to trip him?" suggested Lincoln.
"That doesn't sound like it would work," said Dipper.
"Who knows, you might get lucky," said Danny. "I'm just going to go ghost and see if I can catch him off-guard." Without another word, Danny turned intangible and floated through a nearby wall.
"Well, I'm going to try my tripping strategy," said Lincoln, going to the nearest corner and sticking his leg out around it. Almost immediately, a blur was seen moving around it.
"Any other ideas?" asked Kevin.
"…nope," said Lincoln, keeping his leg extended.
"I guess we just run around and hope we get lucky?" suggested Dipper.
"Sounds like a plan," said Kevin, as XLR8 stopped in front of them.
"You won't," he said, before taking off again.
"This is gonna take a while, isn't it?" sighed Kevin.
Meanwhile, Danny was flying through walls at random, hoping to get a glimpse of XLR8. "Where is he?" asked Danny. "He can't be going that fast, can he?"
"Of course I can," said XLR8 from behind him. "I can go so fast you'll never see me." And without another word, XLR8 took off again.
"Never see me, eh?" asked Danny. "Thanks for the tip." Danny turned invisible, and resumed his chase. "Come on, where are…" Danny cut off as he saw XLR8 running right towards him. "Gotcha." Danny waited until XLR8 was run in front of him with nowhere to turn, then turned visible again. "You're mine."
"Am I?" asked XLR8, stopping where he was, several feet out of Danny's reach. "I move fast, I react fast, and there's nothing you can…" At that moment, there was a beeping sound coming from XLR8's chest. "Nonono, not now." There was a flash of light, and XLR8 turned back into Ben. "Uh…hi?"
"Well, that makes this easier," said Danny, stalking towards him.
"You'll never take me alive," said Ben, turning and running back down the hallway…
…only to trip over Lincoln's leg. "Holy *beep*, THAT WORKED?" said Lincoln.
"…it actually worked?" asked Kevin, in complete disbelief.
"It did work," said Chris. "Which means Team Golden Lion win this round, and Team Checkmate are sending someone home."
"Wait, but didn't I avoid the ghosts for longer than the other teams?" asked Ben.
"You did," said Chris. "However, while the game was going on, I realised that since you guys came last in the first two games, even if you won this one, you'd still be last."
"So this entire last game was pointless?" asked Dipper.
"Not completely," said Chris. "It was the tiebreaker between you and Golden Lion, and you lost."
"Speaking of which, what did we win?" asked Danny.
"Access to the rec centre until the next challenge," said Chris.
"…you're kidding," said Danny.
"What? Not good enough for you?" asked Chris.
"What? No, of course it's good," said Danny. "It's just, I was expecting you to just say something like your pocket lint or something."
"Well, if you'd prefer that…" started Chris, reaching into his pocket.
"Nonononono," said Danny quickly. "We'll take the rec centre."
"Suit yourself," said Chris, pulling out a piece of pocket lint that seemed to be made of solid gold.
Confession Cam: Danny
"Only Chris McLean can make me regret not taking pocket lint."
Later, at the Elimination Ceremony…
"Alright Team Checkmate, it's about time I saw you guys back here," said Chris. "You may even need a reminder of how this works. There are seven of you sitting there, but I only have six marshmallows. That means six of you are about to receive a tasty treat, and one of you is about to walk the Dock of Shame, board the Boat of Losers, and leave the island forever. The following contestants are safe." As he read each name, he threw them a marshmallow. "Jessica. Steven. Buttercup. Dexter. And Ben." The camera focused on Tulip and Mandy.
"Did you chumps seriously still vote for me, knowing I have three Invincibility Statues left?" demanded Mandy.
"Well, yeah," said Steven.
"How else are you going to use them up?" asked Dexter.
"Well, I guess I'm out…" started Tulip, getting up.
"Hey, I haven't finished the Elimination Ceremony yet," said Chris.
"We know what's going to happen," said Tulip. "You're going to give me the last marshmallow, Mandy's going to hand over one of her Elimination Statues, she's going to take my marshmallow, and I'll board the Boat of Losers."
"…not necessarily," said Chris.
"Oh, so enough people straight up voted for me that Mandy doesn't have to use the Statue?" asked Tulip.
"…well, no, but…" started Chris.
"Then I'm gone," said Tulip, walking down to the Dock. "See you everyone, it was great meeting you all. Except Mandy. Beat her for me guys."
"We'll try," said Steven, as Tulip got on the Boat of Losers.
"Well…that takes care of another contestant," said Chris. "That's a third of the campers gone. Who's gonna bite it next? Find out next time, on Total Drama Island."