"Last time on Total Drama Island," Chris recapped, "Things really got cooking between the campers." The scene flashed back to the cooking challenge, then to Rose spying on the villains before getting knocked out. "Rose followed Heather," Chris continued, "But before she could do anything, she got KO'd." The scene changed to Priya quickly stirring the batter and Millie talking with Sam. "Priya overworked herself to the point that Millie had to get her hooked on some video games." The scene changed to Heather and Leshawna arguing, then to her with blue-tinted skin. "Heather pushed Leshawna and Rose too far in the cook-off challenge and ended up one chilly mama."

...

The scene changed to Owen getting stung by hornets. "Owen had a hard day," Chris continued. The scene changed to Sol serving his food to Oliver. "Sol led the Frogs of Death to victory and with only a portion of the team power." The scene changed to Geoff lighting the candelabra, then to him and the guys' pranks on Harold. "While Geoff surprisingly saved his team enough, despite most of them spending more time messing with Harold."

...

The scene changed to Leshawna seeing the eaten ribs, then to Rose defending herself while holding her tiki statue. "And the Screaming Gophers got to the bottom of their losing streak," Chris continued. The scene changed to Rose's elimination. "It was bye-bye Rose. However, the explorer didn't leave without dropping a major bombshell. She exposed the Villain Alliance and Heather as a member, which only got confirmed by Max. Yeah, really smart, dude." The scene changed to Samey relaying a message in flour to Jasmine. "And Amy sold the alliance out in secret. Or was it Amy?"

...

The scene returned to Chris on the dock. "Have the Gophers broken the curse?" Chris narrated. "Have the villains already made a knot on their necks? And just how much trust do they have in one another now? Find out on this week's episode of Total...Drama...Island!"

(cue commercial)

It was the next evening. Inside the spa hotel, Anne-Maria was lying in a chair while wearing a spa mask. "Aw, yeah," she sighed. "I totally missed this." She looked down at her toes and saw Stan painting her toenails. "Uh, magenta good?" he nervously asked.

"You're good, kid," Anne-Maria shrugged as she laid back. "I can touch up if needed. Hey, where's Valerie at?"

"Still feeling the effects of the Mississippi Queen. Been throwing up for a bit."

"Knowing that redneck kid, it probably was laced with seafood. Can you go make sure she's okay?" Stan nodded before walking off, though not before tripping and spilling the nail polish all over his face. "Poor kid," Anne-Maria muttered.

"How much longer will that chow be?" Keith demanded as he, Brick and Phoebe stood in the kitchen.

"Calm down, you big ape," Sol whipped back. "I can only cook so quickly. You want to get botulism from it? Nuh-uh."

"Looks like you have more people liking your cooking," Jasmine complimented as she and Samey approached him.

"I guess these guys trust an intern's word," Samey shrugged. "So, just what are you concocting today?"

"Squirrel and spinach," Sol answered.

"Definitely a, um, creative menu," Brick commented.

"Spinach!" Phoebe cheered. "We can use plenty of that and be strong like Popeye!"

"Really?" Keith teased. "You look more like Olive Oyl to me."

"She can be strong, too," Brick defended. "She can carry Barry like a feather. Speaking of which, where is he?"

"GET OUT OF MY KITCHEN!" Sol shouted. Barry ran out of the kitchen with a chunk of meat in his mouth. "Barry, did you take this?" Phoebe thought. "Naughty puppy. You do not take stuff from the kitchen like that."

"He's probably hungry," Keith reasoned. "I suppose I can share my squirrel with him."

"Aw, coach! That's so sweet of you!"

"No, no, no. I'm NOT sweet."

"It sounds sweet to me," Brick pointed out with a slight smirk.

"No," Keith argued as he tried to pry Phoebe off of him. "It's just humane."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Phoebe said before passing Keith a letter. "I saw this on your bed. It looked important." Keith glanced at the letter, which read "Emergency meeting first thing tomorrow morning!" He then glanced over at Barry lying at his feet and Phoebe looking up to him. "It ain't that important," Keith shrugged as he crumbled up the letter. "Junk mail." Unknown to the group, they were being watched from the kitchen by Jasmine, Sol and Samey. "Was that letter important?" Jasmine whispered.

"It actually was," Samey quietly replied as the trio ducked down. "It's a meeting for the, um, you know. An emergency meeting. What do we do?"

"Got an idea," Sol informed them. "Sammy here can act as a spy for the Villain Alliance and destroy them from the inside. Ready to go?"

"Hang on a sec, you bloke," Jasmine sternly told him. "At least consult her about the plan before thrusting her into action. Being a double agent is very risky and dangerous."

"It's fine, Jasmine," Samey replied.

"Are you sure, though? I just don't want those vultures getting you into trouble." Samey let out a breath before getting a determined look. "I'm sure," she decided. "Let's do this."

Early the next morning, Samey was cautiously walking towards the cave, where she saw most of the others waiting. "You aren't too late, I suppose," Julia shrugged.

"Let's start this third meeting, shall we?" Alejandro suggested.

"We can't," Scott put in. "We're still missing one. Where's Keith?"

"Doesn't matter," Jo replied. "Why did the Lesser Starman drag us here?"

"First of all, not a fan of that remark," Bowie informed her. "Second, I didn't."

"I did," Heather stated as she walked over to the group.

"Ah, Heather," Alejandro sighed. "Why am I not surprised? You do have some keen game sense. The ponytail you have is a good look on you."

"Save the flattery for later. This is an emergency meeting for a reason. Last night, that scout girl exposed us villains and our alliance!"

"What?!" Scott, Bowie, Julia and Samey gasped.

"I'm afraid she's right," Echo nervously spoke up. "Rose said there was a member on each team and three in the Gophers."

"That's quite a remarkable amount of information she gathered so quickly," Scarlett noted.

"I did try to dismiss her claims as false," Heather added before shooting a glare at Max, "But somebody screwed that plan up and confirmed it to everyone!"

"So what's our next plan of action?" Bowie asked.

"Well, obviously, my team need to win in the next challenge."

"Yeah, right," Jo argued. "The only way you'll get a victory from me is if you pry it out of my cold, dead fists."

"But should the Gophers lose for a fifth time," Scarlett pointed out, "We risk losing a member of our alliance."

"You need to relax, you nerd," Valerie told them. "I mean, what's to say that Heather hasn't simply fabricated this story in an effort for us to hand her an easy win?"

"She surely couldn't have," Alejandro protested.

"She is a villain," Samey pointed out. "She could be faking this."

"Am not!" Heather argued.

"Are too!" Jo spat back. The group's argument started to grow bigger. "QUIET!" Sugar shouted, silencing the others. "What's with all the shouting and hollerin' for? Over what? Some story that could be true or could be false? Well, I have my own two pennies to toss into this."

"Oh, no," Scott groaned. "That's the same words my cousin Alberta says before she gives a long speech." He was hit back by a long stretch of parchment. "Friends, countrymen and all pigs in the county," Sugar began as she read off the paper, "Lend those ears! For I have some very important things to say! Things that will change your life. Things that will-" Jo simply snatched the paper away and started to tear it to shreds. "Get to the point, Honey Boo-Boo," she scolded.

"We are a team, guys," Sugar told them. "A team of villains! So what if we argue? That's what villains do! But we can't let them no-good goody-goody weaklings make use of that. We make THEM argue and WE make use of that! Cause what are we? Villains!"

"That has got to be the lamest speech I've ever heard," Valerie complained. "It-" She was suddenly pinned to the wall by Sugar. "I said what are we?!" Sugar shouted.

"Villains?" Valerie choked out.

"Sugar may have taken a longer way to the point," Alejandro spoke up, "But she is not wrong. We cannot let a simple argument divide us like this. We must keep our goals in sight and focus on them instead of our petty feuds we may have."

"Exactly-like," Sugar agreed after releasing her grip on Valerie.

"So what now?" Max demanded. "We must come forth a plan. I got it! Somebody think of something!"

"Nice plan, midget," Jo teased.

"You know," Scarlett thought, "I think Max had a credible idea earlier. Do you recall when he suggested getting rid of Phoebe?"

"A bad idea then and a bad idea now," Samey scoffed. "She's not a threat to anyone. Plus, Keith did say he got her close to him."

"Maybe a bit too close," Alejandro realized. "Phoebe could be the spanner in the works to our alliance."

"Because her influence could change Keith's morality alignment and have him have inner personal turmoil that could lead him to defecting from the alliance, thus weakening us?" Luna quickly asked.

"Uh, yes. You're...correct, Luna. Luna?" However, Luna was now using a shredder to shred... "Hey, that's my shark tooth!" Scott protested. "Give it back!" He cried out in pain as the tooth landed on his foot. "A bit of tooth shreds from a legged fish," Luna noted as she eyed the flakes in her jar. "Perfect."

"Excuse me!" Heather barked out. "How about the reason I called you here in the first place?"

"A load of crap," Jo scoffed.

"But what if it's not?" Bowie pointed out. "Eventually, the secret of this alliance will come out no matter what we do. We should have a plan for when that day comes."

"No one will ally up with someone from here unless they were desperate enough," Samey put in.

"We can just pin team losses on someone else," Scott suggested. "It worked a few times for me, like with B."

"What about the merge?" Scarlett inquired. "No doubt that the others will target us the first chance they'll get."

"We can discuss this more at another time," Alejandro cut off. "It's nearly daybreak and the others shall be waking soon. Keep trying to gain allies where you can. Frog villains, try to divide the bond between Keith and Phoebe to keep him in the alliance."

"Guess we can call the third meeting of the Villain Alliance to a close," Heather decided.

"Steal my thunder, hmm? Interesting..." Heather simply rolled her eyes at Alejandro before walking out of the cave, with the others soon following suit. "God, that country girl has some grip," Valerie coughed out.

"Psst!" a voice called out. Valerie looked around in confusion before seeing Bryan hiding in a bush. Once no one else was looking, she quickly ducked into the bush. "What are you doing?" she quietly scolded. "Were you following me?"

"Perhaps," Bryan answered, "But I figured I should share some info with you, my dear."

"First off, is what Heather said true? Was the alliance exposed?"

"Partially. Rose did reveal the alliance and that it was all across the four teams, but the member identities are still fairly vague. Only Heather and Max were ousted. Plus, as far as I know, the Gophers are the only ones to hear this news."

"So she and Max are indeed in danger of going home next time they lose. Hmm, any others I should be concerned on the Gopher side?"

"Alliances are currently Gwen and Leshawna; Heather with Lindsay and Max; Sarah and Lacey; Lucas and Helen; and it seems like Trent and Carly are getting close. That leaves me, Owen and Echo on the outskirts."

"Echo? No, she's part of the alliance, as well."

"Well, don't count her. I'll bet the million bucks that she'll be the first to betray the group."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Let's just say that we have a bit of...history between us and that I'm the only soul on the island who knows who she truly is."

"What, something romantically?" Valerie inquired. However, Bryan simply laughed in response. "Romantically involved," he chuckled as he wiped away a tear. "You've got jokes, Valerie. Echo and romance? That blue-haired witch would puke at the mere mention of a kiss."

"I'll make sure to keep that in mind," Valerie noted. "So, you'll tell me any more news from the Gophers, my little mole?"

"Only if you'll do the same regarding the Frogs, you snake-lipped beauty. And I do recommend you join your comrades before things start looking suspicious." The duo smiled before splitting up.

Confessional: Valerie (Frogs of Death)

"Having Bryan as my mole on the Gophers is great. I get such juicy info from him, and he's not half-bad. A snake-lipped beauty..." She quickly cleared her throat. "But I'll still come out on top way before he does."

End Confessional

"So how exactly are we gonna make our plan work, ladies?" Valerie inquired as she walked back with Samey, Scarlett and Jo. "Any suggestions?"

"Not quite sure," Jo thought. "Hey, why are we walking? We should be running back before those losers wake up."

"No!" Samey snapped back. "I don't want us getting all sweaty."

"I suggest not getting overstimulated on such trivial affairs," Scarlett suggested. "We do have a mission to accomplish and our guard to keep up or the alliance will fall apart."

"Relax, Bunhead," Jo assured her. "Those dolts are too stupid to suspect a thing." Once she opened the doors to the spa hotel, she, Samey, Valerie and Scarlett were stunned to see most of the Frogs glaring at them. "Hello, Villain Alliance," Jasmine bitterly greeted.

"You were saying?" Samey whispered to Jo with a slight smirk.

"What exactly did you say, guys?" Valerie innocently asked. "I couldn't hear you."

"You all heard us loud and clear," Sol sternly told the girls. "Everyone in this hotel knows about the alliance you created."

"Me? Oh, no. I didn't create it. Honest."

"As honest as the fox guarding the hen house, I bet."

"Created it or not, you're still a part of it," Nikki pointed out.

"Me align with these two?" Valerie scoffed while pointing to Jo and Scarlett. "Those two have zero class. I wouldn't be caught dead around them."

"Good thing you're still alive, huh?" Sol countered.

"You have absolutely no proof of this so-called alliance, you know."

"You ladies returning here is enough proof for me," Brick decided. "And Jo...why am I not surprised?"

"Max recruited you guys, didn't he?" Phoebe asked. "He must've created this league of villains like villains do in the comics!"

"That dimwit probably can't even tie his shoes," Keith told her. "Creating an alliance like that is a very far stretch."

"But the alliance is very real," Jasmine informed the Frogs. "I've got this from a very credible source."

Confessional: Samey (Frogs of Death)

"Me! I'm the very credible source! I asked Jasmine to wake everyone once I was sure the villains left the hotel. That way, the others could catch Valerie and Jo and Scarlett with their pants down. Strange that Keith decided not to join, though."

End Confessional

"So," Cameron began as he and Sierra approached Scarlett, "This was the anonymous somebody you were referring to the other day?"

"Correct," Scarlett stated.

"Quiet," Valerie shushed between gritted teeth.

"And this whole villain alliance and meetings..." Sierra put in. "Are you four really together against everyone else?"

"No," Scarlett plainly replied.

"Guess your credible source isn't so credible, Outback," Jo taunted.

"No," Jasmine protested. "Scarlett just has one hell of a poker face." However, most of the Frogs have already left. "Looks like your little rally didn't go as planned, huh?" Valerie taunted.

"I still believe Jasmine about this," Brick defended. "Same with Phoebe and even Keith."

"But Scarlett has been completely honest whenever I ask," Cameron countered. "If there was an alliance like this, she would've told me."

"She's lying," Jasmine growled out.

"I did not lie," Scarlett informed the group. "There are not four of us 'villains' in an alliance."

"See?" Cameron pointed out. "There is no-"

"There are five of us in this alliance."

"What?"

"Five?" Brick gasped. "That's a quarter of the team! All of them in the Villain Alliance?"

"Correct," Scarlett informed him, "Though the reason you assumed four was because the fifth member was absent at our meeting."

"Secret meetings and villain alliances?" Phoebe thought. "Who is this fifth member? Reveal yourself, villain!"

"Did Keith not inform you of his alliance with us?"

"What?" Phoebe and Brick gasped, blindsided by this news.

"Surely he told you about this due to your close bond." Phoebe looked over to Keith with her pleading eyes, and the boxer found himself at a loss for words. She then ran off. "Phoebe!" Brick called out. "You stay put, Keith." He rushed after Phoebe. Keith could only look on with anger with a hint of sadness spliced in.

Confessional: Keith (Frogs of Death)

"What. The. FUCK WAS THAT ABOUT?!"

Confessional: Scarlett (Frogs of Death)

"The plan succeeded with relatively little work. Granted, it did come at the cost of exposing the alliance, but it was to be expected eventually."

End Confessionals

In the main lodge, the other teams were getting their plates of food that Chef scooped out. "Today's breakfast is Hawaiian-Italian fusion casserole with a slight peppery gravy," he announced.

"You mean leftovers from the cooking challenge," Gwen corrected as she took her plate.

"Yeah, that's right! You got a problem with that?!"

"Sir, no, sir!"

"Over here, Gwen!" Helen called out. Gwen sat next to her and Leshawna. "Heather still getting some echinacea?" Gwen teased.

"I hope she isn't holding a grudge over that freezer stunt in the last challenge," Carly thought.

"Well, she's still resting in the cabin," Echo informed them, "And Max is...somewhere, I'm sure."

"Gophers, we've gotta talk about the elephant in the room," Lacey told the group as she stood up.

"No need to brag about yourself, Lace," Duncan teased. "Everyone knows you can kick ass." He was knocked out by a coffee mug thrown by Lacey. "Disregarding that remark," she continued, "We've got a bigger problem to sort out: the Villain Alliance."

"And to think someone at this table is working for them," Carly thought. "At least Rose helped expose two members before leaving."

"Max kinda exposed himself," Lucas pointed out between bites.

"Lucas, don't talk with your mouth full," Lacey sighed. Lucas blinked before swallowing the food in one gulp. "Gross," Helen noted, "But cool."

"Really one of a kind, man," Trent joked.

"Meh, Owen can do more than me," Lucas shrugged.

"Focus!" Leshawna scolded. "We gotta focus on the important thing here, which is that white chick and mini minion are in a VILLAIN ALLIANCE!"

"What if it was a lie?" Echo asked. "This is Heather we're talking about."

"Doubtful," Bryan countered. "Max is also in it, and pardon me if it sounds a bit offensive, but his, uh, ego is bigger than him."

"True," Lacey agreed. "And it's not like he can pull off a lie."

"And to think all this started after Rose grabbed that cursed tiki doll," Echo thought out-loud.

"She did not take it!" Carly angrily protested as she stood up. "And you guys actually believed that curse stuff to be real?"

"Watch your tone, Morningstar," Gwen warned. "Plus, after seeing the crazy shit Sol and Luna pulled off, a curse is more than believable. Your friend did that to herself."

"Did not!"

"Girls, please," Trent pleaded with worry.

"Just calm down, everybody," Sarah advised. "Forget about that. Right now, we need a game plan for what to do next."

"I say we focus on winning challenges," Lucas suggested. "If we lose, we can boot Heather and Max."

"But that still leaves a third member," Bryan reminded him. "We don't know who that is yet."

"And we still don't know how many more members are on the other teams," Leshawna pointed out. "How do we take care of them?"

"We take them down as well."

"You're not very bright."

"QUE DIJISTE?!" The situation splintered off into different directions, much to Bryan's frustration. He looked over to Echo, who subtly smirked in response.

Confessional: Bryan (Screaming Gophers)

"That sly little demon... She's screwing up my plans! I can't simply expose her as the third member or she'll turn the tables on me faster than the Road Runner can run! Caution will have to be my best tool until I can come up with something."

End Confessional

Carly scooted down the table before pulling out Rose's notebook. She was flipping through the pages when she noticed a shadow behind her. "What is that?" Priya suddenly asked her.

"Oh, uh, notes," Carly nervously replied as she closed the notebook shut. "My, um, friend left them to me after she left."

"So it's Rose's notes?" Millie, now clad in a gray trenchcoat and a gray fedora with a red flower pinned in it on her head, inferred as she walked over.

"Well, how did-? Uh, Millie, what are you wearing?"

"Oh, this? Just my sleuthing outfit. Thought it'd be a good day to wear it."

"What kind of notes are they?" Priya asked as she glanced at the notebook.

"They are important notes that my friend has," Carly replied as she slid it away. "Well...had. Someone tore out the pages and now I don't know what she left for me."

"Maybe not," Millie informed her. "You have a graphite pencil I could use?"

"You planning to write down what Rose said?" Priya thought, puzzled. "How would you even know what she had written?"

"Just watch. It's a trick I saw in Grizzled Graphite. Definitely a good film. Four out of five stars."

"Millie, focus!"

"Oh, right. Anyway, the killer ripped out incriminating evidence that the victim had on him in a book, but the detective was able to uncover the info by using a pencil on the paper underneath." Carly passed Millie a pencil and the notebook, then Millie started rubbing the pencil across the blank page. "With a little bit more..." she muttered. "Aha!"

"I don't believe it," Carly gasped with amazement as she saw the words on the page. "You did it!"

"Hey, what's this about a villain alliance?" Priya asked as she and Millie glanced at the uncovered words.

"Rose was on the verge of exposing the members of this secret alliance when one of them ambushed her and tried to destroy the evidence."

"A villain alliance sounds like a very serious threat to the whole game."

"Are you sure?" Millie wondered. "It sounds like an exaggeration. Maybe three people at most."

"I'm afraid that it isn't," Carly sadly replied. "As she was eliminated, Rose said three members were on the Gophers and at least one member were on each team. Right now, we only know of Heather and Max, but that leaves at least four members unaccounted for."

"I can see Julia and Scarlett's name on the list," Priya noted. "Not too surprising."

"But who's the Bear villain?" Millie thought. "No one in particular stands out. Picking out one person out of fifteen will be pretty tough to do. Plus, we have other problems to worry about on the Bears."

"What problems?" Carly asked. The trio heard the door open and were shocked at who stood in the doorway: Ella, though she now wore a long black dress, black slippers, a black rose headband in her messy hair and black-lace gloves. "She took Ethan's rejection pretty hard," Priya explained to Carly. "Ethan, too, somehow. Both of them are so depressed that they're refusing to even speak."

"Poor thing," Carly sighed. "I hope the Rats and Frogs are doing better now." Back at the spa hotel, Zoey was leaning on the balcony when she saw Sarah walking down below. "Morning, Zoey!" Sarah greeted. "Everything okay on your end?"

"Fine," Zoey sighed. "Just...fine."

"You don't sound fine. Maybe I can come up and we can talk?"

"Come up? How?" Sarah took off her beanie to reveal some rope and a hook on top of her hair. She twirled the rope before tossing the hooked end, which latched onto the floor. "Did this a few times whenever I wanted to spray paint somewhere high up," she explained while climbing. Sarah quickly reached the top where Zoey was waiting. "So, what's up?" Sarah asked.

"Um, I...I don't want to bother you with my issues," Zoey nervously told her.

"It's not a bother, Zoey. We're pals, remember? You can vent to me if you want."

"Okay. I've noticed that ever since the hunting challenge, Mike seems to be avoiding me like I have the plague or something. I just don't understand it."

"That does sound confusing. I mean, the guy does care for you, right?"

"At this point, I'm not sure. Sarah, you know a bit more about boy stuff-"

"What?! Who told you about that?!"

"About you and DJ?"

"...Oh. Him. Well, that's-" The duo were cut off by the sound of shattering glass. "What the heck was that?" Zoey asked.

"Looks like trouble down at the cabins," Sarah noted. "We'd better check it out. Come on." She quickly slid down the rope and landed on the ground, with Zoey soon crashing behind her. The two girls headed towards the cabin. "Unhand me at once!" Max's voice demanded. "I command it!"

"That Max?" Sarah thought as she and Zoey walked ahead. "Let's see what trouble he caused...this...time..." The two girls were stunned to see the sight before them: Max squirming on the ground as Paul had him pinned, all while Melody rested on the porch of the Bear cabin. "Paul, what are you doing?" Zoey asked.

"Get off of him," Sarah told Paul as she and Zoey struggled to pry him off of Max. "You're starting to hurt him." Paul simply growled back before tossing the girls and Max aside. "Calm down," Zoey pleaded as the mechanic shot them a threatening glare. "Please stop!"

"Paul," Melody suddenly spoke up, catching his attention. Zoey and Sarah were left baffled as Paul went up to Melody. "It's okay now," the moonflower assured him. "Everything's okay. Just rest now." She started to murmur something, with Paul soon falling asleep in her lap. Melody then turned to the girls. "I apologize if my friend overreacted just now," she told them. "He has become more...protective as of late."

"That brutish vandal nearly tore my ear off!" Max lashed back.

"Makes sense that the man who provoked the situation would try to deflect blame off of him."

"Whatever are you rambling on about?" However, Max shrank up when he saw Sarah glaring at him while she held up a bucket of green paint. "I've heard of getting caught red-handed," Zoey noted, "But green's a new one."

"The other villains put you up to this or was this your stupidity talking?" Sarah demanded.

"Other villains? Wait, so does this mean what Jasmine said earlier was true? There is an alliance of villains?"

"Guess news travels pretty fast around here."

"Attention, campers!" Chris announced over the loudspeakers. "Your next slightly more dangerous challenge is waiting at the dock. Grab your swimming clothes and meet me there in twenty minutes."

"Guess we better go change," Zoey told Sarah. The two girls then noticed that Melody and Paul had vanished. "Is it wrong to say that the way they vanished was-?" Zoey thought.

"Creepy?" Sarah finished. "No, it's not wrong to say that." She frowned when she saw DJ walking back to the cabin. He tried to wave to her, but Sarah simply turned her head away. "Oh, man," DJ muttered. "I really messed up."

"That goes without question," Harold inputted as he looked at him from the open window. "But perhaps I can be the lifeboat to the sinking ship that is you and Sarah."

"You'd do that? Even after how I treated you the other day?"

"I have completely forgiven your actions. The other guys..."

"Will hopefully come to their senses. Thanks, man. I really appreciate it. So, what do you think I should do?"

"Just listen to my directions..." Later, most of the campers were standing on the dock. "Hey, Ethan," Ezekiel greeted as he waved to the knight. "Doing better now?" Ethan simply nodded his head no. "Oh, dear," Melody sighed as she and Paul looked on.

Confessional: Melody (Confused Bears)

"Ethan has become so racked with guilt regarding Ella that both of them have rendered themselves mute. I wish I could delve more, but it feels like something's preventing me from seeing far... Ugh, it's so baffling."

End Confessional

Keith saw Phoebe sit down on the dock while she clutched Pete. "Doesn't your little penguin need a swimsuit, too?" he teased.

"I thought I told you not to talk to her," Brick scolded. "Phoebe, are you okay?"

"Fine," Phoebe mumbled as she hugged Pete tighter. Brick shot another glare at Keith, who only responded with an awkward step backwards. "I've never seen him look so awkward before," Sky quietly noted. She and the others then notice DJ walking over with an...unusual hat on. "Any particular reason for the chicken hat?" Lacey inquired.

"I feel like wearing it," DJ replied.

"Nice hat," Chris chuckled as he joined the group. "Really suits you."

"Not funny, McLean," Lacey scolded. "Just tell us what the challenge is already."

"Fine. Spoil the mood. Long ago before I found this island, this was a camping spot for fierce bandit pirates."

"Aren't we kinda far away for pirates?" Ezekiel asked.

"Zeke's kinda right," Geoff agreed. "This doesn't look like a place for pirates to jam out on."

"The pirates did have allies on land," Chris informed them. "And they were holed up in Muskoka. They were stationed in some mines that have now sunk to the bottom of the lake. Your challenge will be to find some pirate statuettes in those tunnels."

"Sounds like my kind of challenge," Anthony rallied. "But won't we have a problem getting there without getting the bends or, you know, drowning?"

"You'll first canoe over to that platform where interns Stan and Dean will be waiting with scuba tanks. You'll then scuba dive into the lake where the entrance to the tunnels lie. Once inside, you'll find flashlights and maps to navigate the complex tunnels and help find the statues. First team to come back with their statue wins while the team that comes last or empty-handed will be voting someone off."

"So you're saying I wore my best bikini just to get it filthy in some slimy tunnels?" Anne-Maria complained. "Nuh-uh. I ain't doing it."

"Well, the Boat of Losers is just over there," Nikki offered.

"Um, on second thought, my bikini might be due for a wash."

"Onto the canoes, campers!" Chris announced.

"Looks like we'll be partnering up again," Lacey sighed as the Gophers saw the canoes. "Sarah, with me. And I'll also keep a close eye on Max."

"Sounds awesome!" Owen cheered while he hugged Lindsay and Heather. "I've picked my canoe buddies!"

"How about it, girl?" Leshawna offered to Gwen.

"I could join up, as well," Trent added.

"Whatever," Gwen shrugged.

"Lucas?" Helen asked.

"No need to ask, amiga," Lucas replied. "Bryan, care to join us?"

"Um, if you guys want to," Bryan said. "Guess that leaves the last canoe for Carly and Echo." Over with the Rats, Scott was getting in the same canoe as Bowie and Anthony. "Oh, Courtney!" Julia called out as she and Luna sat in a canoe. "Care to join us?"

"I suppose I can tolerate you for a while," Courtney decided. "It's better than someone like Duncan."

"Thanks for the compliment, Princess," Duncan teased as he, Geoff and Austin sat in a canoe. Courtney simply groaned in response. "Yo, Bridgette," DJ offered, "Wanna tag along with me and Harold?"

"Sure," Bridgette shrugged. "It's either you guys or Lightning." Almost on cue, Lightning rushed ahead while carrying his canoe. He tossed it into the water, drenching Harold and DJ. "Be careful with that!" Harold scolded. "GOSH!"

"Might as well join you," Sam sighed as he and Dawn approached Lightning. "Everyone else is taken." He stepped in the canoe, which immediately tipped over and plunged him into the water. "You okay, Sam?" Millie asked as she, Priya and Tyler paddled their canoe past him. Sam simply gurgled in response. On the dock, Sugar was struggling to pry Sky away. "You're getting in the water!" Sugar shouted.

"No!" Sky protested as she clung onto the wood for dear life. "I won't!"

"You're gonna let that pesky Shane win instead?!"

"Let him! I'm not going in the water!"

"Hold back on the brute force for a moment, Sugar," Alejandro advised as he walked over to the duo. "I've got a better idea." He started tickling Sky in the ribs, making her laugh. "Stop it!" she pleaded between giggles. "Stop!" She released her grip, making her fall back onto Sugar. "Looks like you two can share a canoe," Alejandro suggested.

"Only if Ella joins," Sky demanded.

"Why not?" Sugar replied. "She's much better this way." She was then hit in the head by Destiny's guitar. "Don't go blalking like that," Destiny scolded. "Greggy, Davie, with me."

"I'll tag along with Melody and Ethan," Paul offered. "Al, can you take Shawn and Ezekiel?"

"No problem," Alejandro replied. "Though I'm afraid Rodney will luck out with Blainley." However, he noticed that Rodney was staring off. "Rodney!" Greg shouted.

"What?" Rodney wondered. "Oh, uh, yeah. Sure." He looked over again, where he saw Nikki waving to him and Helga standing nearby. "Focus!" Jasmine scolded as she pulled the rapper back. "We've gotta keep our guard up now more than ever. Now, onto partners in the canoes. I'll stick with Amy and Topher. Sol, you're in charge of Valerie and Anne-Maria."

"Babysitting duty again?" Sol groaned.

"The feeling's mutual," Valerie countered.

"Scarlett, Sierra and I can be in a canoe," Cameron offered.

"Good," Jasmine replied. "Shane and Zee, I trust you'll keep Jo in line."

"I'll go with Phoebe," Brick and Keith decided at the same time. "No, I'LL go with Phoebe!"

"Both of you can go with her. The rest of you can figure out what to do. Now lets get ourselves another win, Frogs!" Most rushed off to the canoes, leaving Mike, Zoey, Helga and Nikki by themselves. "Sure thing," Zoey replied. "We-" However, she noticed Helga carrying Nikki away. "Guess that leaves you and me, Mike." Mike simply had an uneasy look, to Zoey's concern.

Confessional: Mike (Frogs of Death)

"I know I've been...avoiding Zoey as of late, but after the deer hunt challenge, I've been more scared of what I could do without realizing it. I just don't want her in harm's way."

Confessional: Zoey (Frogs of Death)

"This is getting as weird as weird gets! I just wish I could see inside Mike's head to find out what's wrong. Uh, not literally. That would be gross."

End Confessionals

In another canoe, Bowie was casually rowing ahead with Anthony and Scott. "We should discuss our strategy at the next elimination," Bowie began.

"Isn't it obvious?" Anthony replied. "We'll boot Miss Mako."

"We might wanna reconsider that."

"What? Why? You've been gunning for her ever since your boyfriend was booted."

"I'm simply thinking of the game. We need as many wins as we can get and Julia is useful for those wins. Wish it wasn't so, but it's true. Might as well milk it as much as we can." Anthony simply had a skeptical look. "Let's talk strategy later and keep paddling," Scott suggested. "I don't like these waters."

"What's not to love about the ocean waters?" Anthony asked. "There's many wonders to see under these waves." He plunged his head into the water. "See anything good?" Bowie asked. Anthony pulled his head up, revealing a jellyfish on his face that quickly zapped him. "Anybody got any peanut butter?" he moaned before falling over.

Confessional: Bowie (Toxic Rats)

"Convincing Anthony to change targets is much tougher than I thought. I better see what he's saying now." He pressed play on his phone. "That matey of mine Bowie is starting to act like someone trying to conceal a treasure," Anthony had said. "I bet my eye that Miss Mako managed to get into his head. Uh, my blind eye, that is. I don't wanna stumble about like I got two peg legs."

"Technically, he's not wrong. And he has a blind eye, hmm? I'm surprised he didn't tell me about it."

End Confessional

Helga was steadily paddling ahead while Nikki tried to follow suit. "You're pretty good at this," Nikki panted. "I wouldn't think of it at first glance."

"Some places back home can only be reached by boat," Helga explained. "You learn how to row boat when you are fairly young. Now pick up pace. We do not want to fall behind."

"Right. So...out of curiosity, see any guys catch your eye?"

"I have both eyes in head."

"No, I meant if some guy caught your attention, like some guy with ginger hair..."

"Hi, Nikki," Rodney greeted as his canoe floated next to hers. "Hi, Helga. How are you?"

"You watch tongue, Ginger Boy," Helga warned as her paddle was right up to Rodney's face. "If you try stunt like you did in last challenge..." She shouted something at him in Russian. "Uh, what?" Rodney wondered.

"It's something along the lines of 'cut your tongue out and use it as your noose'," Nikki translated from her book. "Or at least I hope she meant tongue instead of...ugh."

"But...I thought you two were gonna lose in the last challenge."

"Let me give you some advice about girls, Rodster. We love winning, but we don't love it when a win's handed to us by some guy sabotaging himself. You got the message, buddy?"

"Got it." Rodney was then hit in the back of the head with a paddle. "Ow!" he cried out.

"You're supposed to be paddling, lackey," Blainley ordered as she laid back in the canoe. "Get to it." She noticed a shadow over her. "Hey! I'm tanning here!" Helga glared at the gossiper before swinging her own paddle...hard. "Ooh, that'll leave a mark," Nikki noted as she and Rodney winced a bit. The duo then noticed Rodney slowly sinking into the water. "Guess I'll be swimming for a while," he sighed. "See you later, girls. And good luck."

Confessional: Rodney (Confused Bears)

"Nikki's right. I can't just pass them the win. We both have to fight for it. But...Helga... There's something about her that I can't get out of my head."

Confessional: Helga (Frogs of Death)

"It is good that Nikki talk sense into Ginger Boy. I HATE when guys go easy on me! I show them strength! I will win!"

End Confessionals

"So..." Zoey awkwardly began, "You wanna talk, Mike? I mean, if that's okay with you." Mike simply stayed silent as he paddled ahead. "Okay..." Zoey said. "Is everything okay with you? If you wanna say something..."

"I'd rather travel in silence, Zoey," Mike quietly replied. "Please." The two continued in a tense silence. Soon, most of the Bears were the first to reach the platform. "Hey, former teammates," Dean greeted. "Uh, aren't you short two people?"

"You mean Rodney and What's-Her-Name?" Dave thought. "Sharks probably got to them."

"That isn't funny," Sky scolded.

"Calm down, Sky," Millie assured her. "I'm sure they'll be here soon."

"We gotta go ahead and get a head start on the diving," Priya told the group. "Let's get our scuba tanks on quickly."

"But also correctly," Alejandro added. "After all, no one wants to drown."

"You didn't tamper with these, did you?" Dave inquired as he eyed Dean.

"Course not," Dean told him. "Why would I?"

"Well, given your reputation..."

"I think I might stay on the platform," Sky spoke up. "We already have plenty of people searching already..." However, she was swiftly tossed in the water by Sugar. "What the hell was that for?!" Dave demanded.

"I ain't gonna lose because Sky got wussy," Sugar replied with sass.

"Even though Sky can't swim," Greg lamented. "Forget that little detail?"

"HELP!" Sky shrieked as she flailed her arms around, barely keeping her head afloat. She was suddenly lifted out of the water by Rodney's head. "You totally saved her, dude!" Ezekiel cheered.

"Save who?" Rodney wondered. He then noticed Sky on top of his head. "Oh, hi, Sky. Uh, I thought you hated swimming."

"Just set her on the platform," Dean told him. "She can stay here while Stan and I can keep a good eye on her."

"I don't like what you're implying," Dave complained. "You're implying that Sky's sneaky, which she isn't!"

"No, no, no, no! I-I was just-"

"You both calm down," Sky told the duo. "The rest of you Bears, start diving for that statue." A short time later, the Rats and Frogs arrived at the platform. "Yes!" Jo cheered. "Let's score another one for the team!"

"Jo, the plan was to make sure the Gophers didn't lose," Scarlett quietly scolded. "Look at which team is absent."

"I'm not gonna give the lead to them! Victory is the one thing we should all focus on. Get that into your big head."

Confessional: Scarlett (Frogs of Death)

"Out of all the villains in the Villain Alliance, Jo is the most difficult to work with. The others are either more tolerable to be around or are on another team. At least I have my alliance of Cameron and Sierra to fall back on should the Villain Alliance fail."

End Confessional

"Hey, squirt," Keith told Phoebe as he picked up Pete, "What's your little penguin doing without a swimsuit? He going skinny-dipping?"

"Pete doesn't need one," Phoebe replied as she pulled the stuffed penguin back to her chest. "He's a penguin. Their feathers help them swim in icy waters."

"I thought I told you to leave her alone," Brick scolded as he pushed Keith aside. He then passed Phoebe a plastic bag. "So Pete there doesn't get too wet."

"Thank you, Brick," Phoebe sighed.

"Dead last?!" Heather complained as she and the other Gophers rowed up to the platform. "How are we in dead last?!"

"Well, at least you can't chalk the blame to some imaginary curse," Carly whipped back.

"Quit blabbing and let's start diving," Lucas instructed. "The sooner we get into the water, the sooner we can catch up."

"Come on..." Julia groaned as she struggled to get her diving mask on. "Ugh! Is this defective or something?"

"You're just putting it on wrong," Dean blandly replied. "Maybe if you slowed down a bit-" He was hit in the chest by Julia's goggles. "Hurry up and fix those, intern!" Julia ordered. Dean glared at her for a moment. "Whoops," he casually said as he tossed the scuba gear into the water, much to Julia's horror. Julia quickly dove for the gear. "You'll pay for that!" she shouted.

"Hopefully not anytime soon," DJ muttered after hooking up his scuba gear.

"DJ, look," Harold whispered to him. "There's Sarah over there. I have an idea you can do to impress her." He whispered something into DJ's ear, making the latter widened hi eyes in shock. "Man, these scuba goggles are tough to put on," Sarah complained while adjusting her goggles. "It feels like my face is getting squeezed."

"Uh, Sarah?" Lacey thought. "What is that boy doing?"

"I think it's the Griddy," Helen noted. "Or maybe a chicken dance." The trio watched DJ do an odd dance before slipping off the platform and into the water. "Hey, Sarah," he awkwardly said. "You, uh, you see that?"

"Ignoring," Sarah muttered as she turned her head away. "Ignoring."

Confessional: Harold (Toxic Rats)

"Looks like we'll have to try harder. I don't want to see DJ's chances with Sarah permanently ruined."

End Confessional

In the water, most of the Bears were swimming down towards the tunnel. "How much longer will it be?" Dave panted. "I'm getting tired."

"It shouldn't be too much longer," Millie reasoned. "Right, Priya?"

"Try not to talk too much," Priya explained. "It'll burn up more oxygen."

"Oh, right. And be careful with rising and falling too quickly so we don't get the bends, right?"

"Right."

"The bends?" Tyler wondered. "What's that?"

"It's where air bubbles enter your bloodstream," Cameron explained as he, Sierra and Scarlett started to swim nearby. "I heard it feels pretty awful and can even paralyze you."

"Don't try to psych us out," Millie warned. "We won't let the Villain Alliance overtake this game. Let's go!"

"Sounds like Jasmine informed the other teams," Scarlett noted as the Bears swam ahead.

"About that," Sierra spoke up, "We need to talk."

"What is there to talk about?"

"You know what! You're teamed up with villains! The bad guys!"

"It is a bit concerning to us that you sided with the," Cameron told Scarlett.

"Oh, I get it," Scarlett realized. "You fear that the alliance might soon target you. But that will not happen. My position will allow me to protect the two of you should the Frogs need to vote someone off."

"That's not really reassuring. But...why? Why did you join them?"

"It was a good strategical play. Extra votes on my side and added protection."

Confessional: Cameron (Frogs of Death)

He sighed as he facepalmed.

End Confessional

"Come on, Ethan," Paul told him as he tugged on the knight's arm. "We've gotta go." However, Ethan just bobbed silently in the water. "Still not gonna speak, huh?" Paul reasoned. "You know you can't stay quiet forever."

"I'm sure he'll find his voice when it is needed," Melody assured him. "Though I'm not sure when." She let out a sigh as she closed her eyes. Suddenly, images flashed by her, such as a cat-like creature destroying some buildings, a voice cackling in the darkness, and a girl shouting "Melody! Melody!"

"Melody!" Paul cried out as he shook the moonflower, snapping her back to reality. "Are you okay?"

"I-I-I don't know," Melody stuttered. "Just what was that? And that voice..."

"We'll figure it out. Like with me and my memories."

"Speaking of which, any success with that?"

"Right now, all I'm getting is rocks. Just...rocks."

"Maybe something about those rocks are important. Like, were they a unique shape? Were the rocks moving?"

"I...I think they were moving. No, they were flying out of somewhere." Paul groaned as he placed a hand to his forehead. "Easy, my friend," Melody advised. "Let's not rush it. After this challenge, we'll figure out where this piece of the puzzle fits."

Meanwhile, most of the Rats were swimming downward. "Hurry it up," Julia ordered. "We need to be the first team down there searching."

"We'll get there," Bowie casually replied. "But like Anthony said, we don't wanna injure ourselves with the bends."

"Uh, guys?" DJ spoke up. "Aren't we missing someone?"

"Focus on swimming, chicken head," Scott told him. "I don't wanna be in the water longer than I have to."

"He's right," Bridgette realized. "Where's Dawn?"

"Lightning, go look for her," Bowie instructed. "You're the only one who can find her and come back quickly."

"Lightning's on it!" Lightning declared. He started to swim back and search until he spotted Dawn sitting in a patch of blue sea anemone. "What are you doing, Creepy Girl?" he asked. "You're making us fall behind."

"Oh, hello," Dawn sighed. "I was just, um, admiring the sea life. I can see why clownfish snuggle in this stuff."

"You can sha-snuggle later. Right now, Lightning's team has a challenge to win. Come on!" Lightning pulled Dawn away by her leg. "WAIT!" she cried out.

Confessional: Dawn (Toxic Rats)

"I...I didn't want to enter those tunnels. I could sense some demonic force, much stronger than what Fen-Ryu radiated. It means...there's more than one of them in those tunnels."

End Confessional

"Any sign of the tunnels?" Nikki asked the Frogs.

"I see a sign!" Zoey exclaimed as she pointed to an arrow. "That must be the right way." She was knocked back by Heather and Julia. "Out of my way!" Max barked out as he passed her.

"Sorry, Zoey," Gwen said as she, Leshawna, Lacey, Sarah and Echo passed her.

"It's fine," Zoey moaned. "Uh, anyone hearing a hissing sound?"

"Bubbles?" Mike thought as he saw a few in the water. He turned and gasped at the source of the bubbles. "Hold your breath, Zoey!" he warned as he rushed over. "You're leaking air!"

"What?" Zoey gasped.

"There's a tiny nick in the air tube. Maybe if I clam it shut with my hand-" As Mike grabbed the tube, he noticed a SNAP. He gulped when he saw the air tube broken in his hand. "What now?" Zoey asked with worry.

"Zoey?" Sarah wondered as she swam back towards her. "Hold still." She passed her breathing piece to Zoey, who sighed in relief. "Just stay by me, okay?" Sarah instructed as she took a breath. "We can rotate using my scuba gear."

"Thanks," Zoey replied. "Oh, and thanks for trying to help, Mike."

"I-I guess," Mike murmured.

Confessional: Mike (Frogs of Death)

"I didn't help. I just made things worse! I could've killed Zoey if Sarah didn't intervene." He moaned as he buried his head in his hands.

End Confessional

"I can see the tunnel entrance," Lacey noted. "This way." The Gophers swam through and soon surfaced on the other side. "Whoa," Helen breathed out. "It's an underground cave! Wicked!"

"No, not wicked," Gwen protested as she started to hyperventilate. "We gotta get out of here."

"Not without that statue," Heather scolded.

"Easy, easy," Trent cut off. "Leshawna and I will stick with Gwen. That cool?"

"I suppose..." Gwen mumbled.

"Everybody else should grab a partner," Lacey advised. "I'll keep a close eye on Queenie and the blonde princess here. Lucas and Helen, stick with Owen. Carly, I think I can trust you to keep an eye on Max. Echo and Bryan, you'll go with Sarah when she gets here. Let's go, Gophers! We're not gonna lose five in a row!"

"Yes, ma'am," Lucas replied with a salute. Meanwhile, Julia was marching ahead while glancing at a map. "No slagging off, team," she told the Rats as they followed her. "We have a challenge to win."

"You're so bossy," Duncan moaned.

"Well, it's not like she's wrong," Courtney pointed out. "We cannot afford any losses."

"Hurry!" Priya rallied as she, Millie, Dave and Shawn ran towards the Rats. "We can't fall behind!"

"I can see Julia up ahead," Millie noted.

"That's a problem, right?" Dave wondered.

"A huge problem. Priya, any ideas? Should we warn the other Rats about her?"

"Warn the Rats about what?" Shawn asked. "Are the zombies inside this cave?!"

Confessional: Millie (Confused Bears)

"Zombies?" She scribbled something in her notebook.

End Confessional

"Why do you girls want to get rid of Julia specifically?" Dave wondered.

"Because she's a dirty, nasty villain!" Priya declared. "She must go next!"

"We should tell the Rats that," Millie suggested. "That way, they can vote for her the next time they lose."

"Good thinking, Millie. You're starting to get the hang of TD strategy now."

"It sounds more like common sense to me," Dave muttered. He then heard a loud CLANG echoing down the cave. "What was that?" Millie gulped.

"Oh, yeah," Chris announced over the loudspeakers, "Forgot to mention that there may be some busted-up robot animals we dumped down here instead of on the island. So, have fun!"

"Robot animals as fun?" Shawn scoffed. "Uh, no way are they fun! Those things are creepy!"

"Let's just hope we never meet one of them," Dave muttered. As the group walked ahead, they failed to notice a figure lurking in the shadows, with only a shiny cowbell exposed.

(cue commercial)

"Let's see..." Carly thought as she glanced over the map she held, "It says that the statues are located down to the left, then straight ahead. Come on, Max. Max?" She noticed that Max was pulling out some rocks. "What are you doing?" Carly asked.

"Only a work of pure GENIUS!" Max boasted. "I shall block the tunnel so that no one but me can reach the statue." He let out an evil laugh. "Uh, Max?" Carly thought. "If the tunnel is blocked, then how will we get back?" Max then groaned in realization. "I think the path's up ahead," Brick noted as he followed his map. "Let's march on, Phoebe. No funny business, Keith."

"What kind of idiot do you take me for?" Keith scoffed. "I wouldn't sabotage myself, you idiot!"

"Oh, it's that hero again!" Max seethed. "I must thwart her plans before they ruin me!" He started to grab a rock but Carly pulled it away. "Max, what are you doing?" she demanded. "Let go!"

"You let go, Morningstar!" Max argued. They tugged until they were flung back into the wall. The duo then noticed some rumbling and creaking sounds. "That's not a good sign," Carly gulped with worry. Large cracks formed on the tunnel ceilings, with it soon reaching above Brick, Phoebe and Keith. "Get down!" Brick warned as he pushed Phoebe away moments before rocks came pouring down. Once the dust cleared and Phoebe stopped coughing, she noticed that she was with Max and Carly while a wall of rocks split her apart from Brick and Keith. "Phoebe, are you alright?" Carly gasped with concern.

"Brick?" Phoebe pleaded as she rushed over to the wall of rocks. "Coach? Hello? Are you there?"

"Ow," Brick moaned as he and Keith stood up. "God, those rocks hurt."

"Oh, yes," Keith sarcastically remarked, "Because marshmallows would've been much more painful." He was suddenly slapped in the face by Brick. "What the hell was that for?!" Keith complained.

"Maybe because of your attitude throughout this whole competition," Brick countered.

"You mean me being the best leader the Frogs have ever seen?"

"No, the words I'm looking for I shouldn't say because I know Phoebe might scold me afterwards for calling you a certain B word." Keith simply scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "Hey, don't roll your eyes at me, buddy!" Brick lashed out.

"Gee, and people call me hot-headed," Keith blandly replied.

"I have every right to be angry at you for what you've done. Phoebe looked up to you, defended you when no one else would, yet you still sold her out to the villains...YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!"

"I never sold that squirt out!"

"Aha!" Max exclaimed from the other side of the wall. "Just as I thought! You are the hero's sidekick."

"Stay out of this!" Keith shouted as he slammed his fists on the wall. Suddenly, the wall between the two groups came crumbling down. "You okay, Phoebe?" Brick asked after rushing over to her. "You're not hurt, are you?"

"Fine," Phoebe mumbled. "Just...fine."

"Are you sure?"

"She said she's okay," Keith groaned with impatience. "Drop it, cadet."

"But that was still a serious rock slide," Carly pointed out, "That Max created, if I might add."

Confessional: Keith (Frogs of Death)

"You know, now that I really think about it, why the hell am I with those lame 'villain alliance' people? All they've done is cause problems for me, with Bun Head and Midget being the worst offenders. And Phoebe...um, I mean, who cares about that squirt? I don't." His voice started cracking. "I...don't...care." He then let out a cry of frustration.

End Confessional

"The treasure should lie straight ahead, my comrade," Anthony told Bowie as the duo walked down a tunnel. "We'll be there faster than an octopus fleeing a foe."

"Hello, spa hotel!" Bowie cheered. "But...on the off chance that we don't win, we should discuss our vote. Perhaps Duncan would be a good target-"

"No, we have to go after that Mako! Why the sudden change, dude?" Before Bowie could reply, the duo heard some screaming. Suddenly, the boys had Priya and Millie crash on top of them from a tunnel above, then Lucas and Helen, and finally Julia and Scott. "Great idea taking that tunnel," Julia muttered as she glared at Scott.

"Careful, Priya," Millie warned as she hid behind her back after everyone got to their feet. "Julia might try something."

"Try something?" Helen asked.

"Wait a second," Lucas thought. "Is Julia in league with Heather and her Villain Alliance?"

"Villain Alliance?" Anthony repeated.

"Sorry," Julia quickly cut in, "I don't know what you morons are talking about."

"Rose warned us that there was this big villain alliance and that there was at least a member on each team," Helen informed her.

"Julia's the Rat member!" Priya cried out. "Me, Millie and Carly saw it in Rose's notebook. Definite proof."

"I wish I could say I'm surprised," Anthony noted as he shot a glare at the influencer, "But knowing how you operate, Mako, I ain't." Julia noticed the glares of the others, save for Bowie, who had a slight smirk.

Confessional: Bowie (Toxic Rats)

"Truth? I actually wouldn't mind seeing Julia leave a little earlier than planned. But I also can't let her know that. Subtlety is my middle name."

Confessional: Julia (Toxic Rats)

She groaned. "That butt-knuckle cookie pusher spread the alliance to the other teams and painted a target on my back! Well, I'm not going to go down alone!"

End Confessionals

"Fine," Julia admitted to the group, "You got me. I'm in the alliance. But you guys should know that Bowie's in the alliance, too."

"What?" Lucas and Helen gasped while Bowie had a stunned look.

"In fact, the alliance was all his idea."

"Really?" Millie thought.

"She's lying!" Anthony protested.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Julia countered with a smile. "Surely he'll be honest with his closest ally, if that's still true." A sudden scream cut the group short. "That sounds like Luna!" Helen gasped. "We'd better go make sure she's okay."

"You lot go," Anthony instructed. "But Bowie, you're coming with me." He pulled Bowie aside while the others, minus Julia, ran off towards the screaming.

Confessional: Anthony (Toxic Rats)

"I don't know what Miss Mako is playing at, and while I hate to admit it, her and Bowie being in this alliance would explain why he's trying to change my vote. Still, I'd better get the answers from him and not jump the gun with this new info."

End Confessional

"We should be close by," DJ noted as he led Bridgette, Harold and Geoff down a tunnel. "Maybe we'll be first to get the statue if we're lucky."

"Then we better move fast," Harold realized. "I can see the other teams rushing behind us!" Heather was leading the group of her, Lindsay and Owen while Alejandro led Tyler, Rodney and Sugar and Helga was leading Nikki, Topher, Anne-Maria and Valerie. "You're not gonna beat us!" Heather declared.

"Quite a bold claim," Alejandro countered, "But you know us Bears are currently superior."

"Against Helga?" Nikki countered. "Yeah, right. Hey, is it me, or is anyone else hearing some ringing?" A figure twirled her fingers around a cowbell before ringing it, which put out an odd pink mist that filled the room. As the teens entered the room, they noticed the strange figure. "Just who are you?" Helga demanded. The figure stepped forward, showcasing a cow-print dress that flaunted her...extremely curved body and a cowbell hanging from her neck. "Hallo," she greeted while flicking her blonde hair away from her brown eyes. "I see you wanted to come here, hmm? Name's Bella. Short for something else, but I love Bella, so I go with it."

"I'm guessing you're an intern guide Chris sent down here to lead us to the statues," Owen told her.

"A guide, yes! I guide you very much. But not with something as trivial as statues."

"Uh, what?" Geoff asked. Bella rang the cowbell, releasing some pink mist into the room. DJ and Heather got hit in the eyes with it, making them cough. "DJ!" Bridgette gasped. "Are you okay?"

"I am with you around," DJ sighed as his eyes turned pink. Bridgette got a stunned look as the gentle giant started puckering up for a kiss, with Harold struggling to hold him back. "Wow, Bridge," Geoff chuckled. "First Zeke and now DJ. You're really scoring the dudes, huh?"

"I don't think DJ can control it," Alejandro informed him. "It seems more like involuntary affection."

"Wow, Alejandro!" Heather gushed as her eyes turned pink. "You're so smart!"

"Excuse me?!" Alejandro got wide-eyed as Heather started cuddling him. "Who's a cutie-wutie poochie-poo?" she giggled. "You are. Yes, you are!" Most of the others shared stunned looks while Alejandro could only shudder.

Confessional: Alejandro (Confused Bears)

"I've never seen Heather be so sweet and kind...and it is terrifying!"

End Confessional

"Stop silly love stuff," Helga ordered to the group. "We need to find statues, not hugs."

"Aw, does this cutie need a little affection, too?" Bella teased. Helga simply slapped her hand away. "I don't know, Helga," Tyler admitted, "I wouldn't mind a little loving from a pretty girl." He winked at Lindsay, though she was busy shaking rocks out of her boots. "Some loving time for you all!" Bella exclaimed as she rang the cowbell again. The pink mist hit Lindsay, Owen and Nikki next. "Tyler!" Lindsay exclaimed as her eyes turned pink. Tyler happily held his arms out, but was stunned to see Lindsay run up to Topher. "I get having romance drama on a show like this," Topher commented as he put a hand over Lindsay's lips, "But this isn't what I had in mind."

"Lindsay, over here!" Tyler called out. "I'm Tyler! That's Topher!"

"Easy, girl," Anne-Maria told Nikki as she struggled to push the rapper away. "I ain't sharing the same love as you."

"You're lucky," Valerie complained while in Owen's tight hug. "Look who I'm stuck with!" She groaned as she got slobbered by Owen's kisses. "Uh, I don't think everybody's liking this, Bella," Rodney noted.

"They just do not have enough love," Bella giggled. "Here, let's give you some." Another cowbell ring sent more pink mist out, this time into Rodney's eyes. He looked over to Helga. "Map must be misleading," she muttered. "Hey! What is with silly gawking?" Rodney kept staring at her before shaking his head. "Sorry, Bella," he told the woman. "Not feeling it."

"What do you mean 'not feeling it'?" Bella suddenly demanded.

"Um, like, I know Helga's awesome, but I've gotta focus on the challenge now. Not romance." Rodney started to walk off but Bella blocked his path. "You will go nowhere until you start feeling some love," Bella warned him.

"No, you will be moving," Helga countered, "Or Helga will move you to other side of globe!" Bella angrily swung her cowbell at Helga, knocking the Siberian into the wall. "Hey!" Rodney protested. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"That nasty little skadedyr was keeping the love from spreading," Bella explained.

"Love?! This isn't love! True love takes time and understanding. This is practically drugging people to be all affectionate! Only some sort of demonic monster would force this onto anyone!"

"Uh...what Ginger Boy said," Helga agreed with a stunned look.

"Is that so?" Bella challenged as her eyes turned pitch-black. "I, Begjaer, will give you demonic!" She swung her cowbell, sending a pink blast that made a stalagmite break in half. "Crap," Rodney fearfully realized. "We gotta get out of here!" He quickly scooped up Helga and Nikki before running off. "Put me down!" Helga demanded.

"No time!" Rodney shouted. "Run for safety, everyone!"

Meanwhile, Shane was walking down another tunnel when he saw a dim light radiating from the end. Once there, he was stunned to see a large wooden treasure chest decorated with gold swirls sitting in the middle of the room. "Whoa," Shane breathed out.

"Quite a treasure, is it not?" a voice spoke up. Shane swung his flashlight around and gave a yelp of fright when he saw Ingrozi standing on the ceiling. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. "You scared me half to death!"

"You forget my title already?" Ingrozi chuckled. "Scaring's in the job description. But I see you've found the ancient treasure the pirates of the past hid in these caves."

"Pirates must've come from halfway across the world. The chest has some words in Urdu. I think I can see the words 'double-bladed' or something along those lines written over and over again. Wonder why."

"Aren't you even a tad curious to what's inside?"

"It's probably the typical gold and jewels you see in pirate movies."

"Ah, but what's inside is worth more than any gold." Ingrozi used a snake to open up the chest, revealing some gray stones with sparkling lines of blue weaved into each stone. "Behold the legendary wishing stones," he announced. "With these, you can wish for anything your heart desires, like power or wealth or true love."

"That's a lot of wishes there," Shane thought. "But...how come the pirates didn't use them themselves? Why is the chest so full of wishing stones?"

"Perhaps the pirates thought of them as worthless. Like you said, they desired gold. Go on. Take it. Finders keepers." However, Shane just gave the demon a skeptical look. "What?" Ingrozi feigned. "You think there is some sort of...catch to these stones? Well, aren't you the clever one. There IS a catch, but I think it might be better if you found out what it was for yourself, hmm?"

"Not gonna chance it," Shane told him. "It could be a horrific death or bad luck or who knows what else. You're not gonna trick me into taking those stones." He then heard Ezekiel, Sarah and Zoey slide down another tunnel before landing at Shane's feet. "Sorry, Shane," Zoey said. "The floor collapsed and sent us here."

"Pirate treasure!" Ezekiel gasped as he saw the chest. "Hey, cool rocks. Are the blue bits sapphire?"

"Well-" Shane began but he looked up to see that Ingrozi had vanished. "I must be losing my damn mind. Zeke, don't touch those wishing stones!"

"Wishing stones?" Sarah asked.

"That's what they're supposed to be, but-"

"So I just make a wish on it?" Ezekiel thought. "Hey, I could wish for Ethan to cheer up again!"

"I wouldn't. They're cursed or jinxed or hexed or whatever it is."

"Jinxed? Nah. It can't be."

"Um, maybe we should see Sol to make sure," Zoey suggested.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Sarah quickly protested. "I don't want anyone getting mixed up with Sol's voodoo again. The swindling hex and that evil box are still engraved in my brain."

"It'll be fine," Ezekiel assured her. "He's the expert." He grabbed a stone and ran off, with Zoey and Sarah following. "Guys, don't use that stone!" Shane warned them. "It's dangerous!"

Down another tunnel, Priya rushed over to see Luna curled up and crying her eyes out. "Oh, Luna," Helen began as she, Lucas, Millie and Scott approached her. "Why are you crying?"

"It was awful!" Luna cried out as she wiped away her tears. "Me and the nature girl were walking here when this-this metal monster showed up! It dragged her away and I couldn't stop it."

"You couldn't stop it?" Scott scoffed. "Yeah, right. You probably scared that monster away."

"Scott, don't say that," Helen defended while hugging Luna. "Luna's still in shock."

"It sounds like you're calling her a liar," Lucas accused.

"She is a liar," Scott argued.

"Is not!"

"Did you say Dawn was dragged away?" Millie questioned as she knelt down to see some footprints in the floor.

"Uh-huh," Luna whimpered. "I never felt so scared in my life."

"Looks like we have a trail," Priya noted. "She and that beast are probably up ahead. Come on!" The group ran down the tunnel, though Scott was more reluctant. Priya soon reached a metal door and quickly pulled it open. "Whoa," Lucas breathed out as he saw the room inside. "It feels like a mix of Tomb Raider and something spawned out of hell."

"Just what is this place?" Helen asked. "It's giving me the creeps."

"No clue," Millie admitted, "But I think we can get answers from...Luna."

"Not you, too," Priya defended.

"Guys, what Luna told us wasn't true. I took a look at the footprints left behind. No one was dragged here; they walked here. And the footprints are too big to be left by Dawn. So what is really going on, Luna?" The door suddenly slammed shut behind the teens. "We're locked in!" Helen shouted while tugging at the door. Some lights flashed on above their heads, blinding them. "Who's there?" Lucas demanded. He squinted his eyes to see Uraya walking over to the group. "Visitors," she purred. "I'll fix that." Priya and Millie were suddenly flung across to the wall. "Priya!" Helen gasped. "Millie!"

"Why aren't you helping them?" Lucas asked Luna when he noticed her standing still.

"Eh, I never really liked them, anyway," Luna shrugged before turning to the luchador with her wide grin. "Never liked you two, either." She then pulled out two clay dolls and slammed them to the wall, flinging Lucas and Helen back. "Who needs enemies with friends like her?" Lucas groaned.

"HEY!" Scott shouted as he rushed towards Luna. She simply smirked before pulling out another doll, making Scott freeze up and start floating. Luna flung it to the wall, sending Scott flying. "What's going on?" Priya demanded while she squirmed. "Why can't I move?"

"Voodoo dolls!" Scott realized as she saw Luna and Uraya wrapping some twine around the clay dolls. "That little-"

"Choose your next words carefully, Scottie," Luna taunted while holding the Scott doll. "I'd hate for you to lose something like a finger or a hand or an arm or a head..."

"You are sick," Millie seethed. "How did Sol put up with you for so long?"

"We don't have time for your games," Helen told Luna. "Get us out of here!"

"Here, shell," Luna called out while lifting up some pebbles. "Here, shellie, shellie, shellie."

"She's not gonna listen," Scott groaned. "And I told you not to listen to her."

"Don't rub it in," Lucas scolded.

"I've heard enough lip out of you mortals," Uraya scoffed. "I'd best silence you...permanently."

"I don't think this is part of the game anymore," Priya fearfully realized while the others shared her fearful look. Meanwhile, Echo was trying to shake some mud off her shoe. "We'd better win this challenge," she grumbled.

"You'd better start explaining stuff to me, Bowie," Anthony told him, catching Echo's attention. She quickly hid before the two boys walked down the path. "What is there to explain?" Bowie asked.

"About what that Mako said," Anthony sternly informed him.

"You don't seriously believe her, do you?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. You being in this Villain Alliance whatzit makes way too much sense."

"Me and Julia working together? No way!"

"Then why have you not been willing to vote her off?" Bowie got an uneasy look. "Ugh, fine," he groaned. "You want the truth? The alliance is real. But I'm not stupid enough to go in there without a plan."

"What plan?" Anthony skeptically asked.

"Remember that phone that MK had with all the recorded confessionals?"

"The same one you tossed into the ocean? Do you-? How?"

"I got a little bored during that pole challenge when I spotted it."

"Have you been spying on us with that?"

"No, no! Well, I did get a little curious. A blind eye, Anthony? That's new."

"I, um, don't like to bring it up much. But it's not usually a bother. Just don't ask me to a game of darts. Anyway, what do you plan to do with that phone?"

"It's to keep an eye on the other alliance members. You can't trust them completely, especially Julia. And if they try any suspicious moves, I'll be one step ahead of them."

"Gotta admit, that's mighty clever. But please be careful, Bowie. Know that if you play with fire, you will get burned."

"Aren't I always?" In the shadows, Echo simply smirked after hearing the conversation.

Confessional: Echo (Screaming Gophers)

"So that's what he's been hiding that day, hmm? Interesting..."

End Confessional

Inside another room, Sol was searching around when a metal snake slithered by his feet. "Stupid snakes," he grumbled before kicking it away.

"There you are," Zoey panted as she, Ezekiel and Sarah skid to a stop in front of him. "Glad we caught you. Can you help us with something?"

"Depends on what your idea of help is."

"I wanna use this special wishing stone to help Ethan and Ella start talking again," Ezekiel explained as he passed the stone to Sol. "But we're having trouble working it, eh."

"But if it's too much trouble," Sarah quickly put in, "We can leave." Sol simply twirled the stone in his hand. "You sure you want to use this to help your friend?" he asked. "These things aren't meant to be taken lightly."

"Uh-huh," Ezekiel replied.

"You don't mind, do you?" Zoey wondered.

"Fine, I'll help," Sol sighed, "But don't say I didn't warn you." He took a breath as he held up the stone. "With this stone, I cast a spell," he chanted, "From power deep below the Earth's shell, a great force shall rise from the ground and cause your mute friends to sound."

"Great!" Ezekiel exclaimed. "I better go see if it-" He was suddenly pulled back by a green rope. "Ah-ah-ah," Sol told him. "The spell ain't finished. But if the knight and princess refuse to speak, much havoc will this force wreak. Or in other words, it ain't gonna be pretty." The stone glowed blue for a second before becoming completely gray. Suddenly, the ground started to shake and rumble. "What's going on?!" Zoey cried out.

"And so it begins," Sol muttered. The ground cracked before a large, brown-and-red scaled legged angler fish burst through the dirt and gave a threatening shriek. It started to stomp away from the group. "Th-th-th-that-" Zoey stammered.

"I told you going to Sol would only give us all trouble," Sarah scolded.

"If I were you three," Sol advised, "I'd find your friend before that fish does. And while I'm no fortune-seeing as your friend Melody, I have a feeling that the beast will cause more trouble for the princess."

"Ella!" Ezekiel panicked "What do we do?!"

"How about not sitting on our asses?" Sarah decided as she pulled out her skateboard. "Hop on." Zoey and Ezekiel joined her on her skateboard before the trio booked it in the direction of the fish beast. "That's one issue taken care of," Sol thought to himself. He then heard some more screaming. "Looks like my work isn't done. Ugh, I'm starting to feel more like great-aunt Shirley every day."

Meanwhile, Lightning was struggling to pull Dawn off a rock. "Come on, Creepy Girl!" Lightning strained.

"No!" Dawn shouted. "I'm not going! There's too much negative energy here!"

"If you don't go, we won't win! Move it!"

"NO!"

"What's with all the shouting?" Paul moaned as he, Ethan and Melody joined the duo. "I could hear you from all the way down there."

"Lightning's trying to get Creepy Girl off the rock," Lightning explained. "Must be some sha-sticky kind of rock."

"Or she's clinging on to dear life. Maybe we can help out."

"Nah. Lightning's got it." Lightning tried to pull Dawn off, but to no avail. "Forget it," Paul decided. "We'll help you. Come on, you two." He and Ethan joined Lightning's side and tried to pull Dawn away from the rock. "Damn, her grip's strong," Paul thought. "Melody, could you help us?" Melody shook her head before joining her friends. "LET GO!" Lightning ordered.

"NO!" Dawn fearfully shouted.

"Why...are you so tense?" Melody asked out-loud. She noticed the fear in Dawn's eyes. "Why so tense?" a voice echoed as a mist surrounded Melody. She then saw a raven-haired and a blonde-haired girl playing out in the forest. "Do you fear what lurks in the shadows?" a voice echoed again. Melody watched as a hooded figure grabbed the raven-haired girl while the blonde-haired girl cried and screamed in fear. Melody's eyes suddenly shined purple, and in a blink, she ended up dragging all three boys and Dawn off the rock. The group ended up stumbling back until Melody tripped on a stone, which made them all tumble and roll down a tunnel until they ended up crashing into Uraya and Luna, knocking them away. "Sha-yeah," Lightning slurred as he held a shivering Dawn. "Lightning's the best."

"We helped, too," Paul pointed out. He then noticed Priya, Millie, Lucas, Helen and Scott on the ground and squirming. "What the hell are you guys doing?"

"Long story short," Helen explained, "Luna's insane and evil, clay dolls need ropes cut, uh, crazy cat lady voodoo...did I get everything, guys?" Paul, Melody and Ethan shared a confused glance. "Luna bounding those dolls bound us," Scott told them. "Grab the shark tooth from the pocket and cut the ropes to get us out of this mess!"

"Since when is Crazy Girl a problem?" Lightning scoffed.

"Uraya!" Dawn fearfully cried out before cowering behind the jock.

"Who?" Paul asked in bewilderment. Everybody turned when they heard a low growl and noticed Uraya returning to her feet. "Why must you always ruin my work?!" she spat out. "I've had enough of you filthy...dogs!"

"What dogs?" Lightning asked. "It's not one of them yappy chihuahuas, is it?" Uraya just gave a roar like a jaguar in response before lunging towards the boys. "HEY!" Ethan finally declared as he stopped her with his shield.

"Ethan!" Paul breathed out. "Oh, it's good to hear your voice again."

"Never mind that. Listen to Sir Scott and cut the ropes on the dolls. We'll need all the help we can get." Paul tried to run to the dolls, but Uraya flung Ethan to him, making the boys crash into each other. "Paul!" Melody gasped. "Hold still. I'll help you guys." She undid the rope on one of the dolls before getting grabbed by Uraya. "Aw, trying to help those little mice?" she taunted.

"Leave her alone!" Paul shouted as he returned to his feet. He then lunged at Uraya and tackled her, which released her grip on Melody. "Paul, be careful with her!" Melody warned.

"I'm sure he'll be okay," Ethan assured her. "Let's work on freeing the others and getting to safety."

"I think I undid the twine on Scott's doll. Where is he?" Scott was trying to crawl away when he was pulled back by his tank top. "Found you, Scottie!" Luna cackled. "Leaving so soon? The FUN's just getting started!"

"Let go of me!" Scott cried out. "Hey!"

"Quit messing around, girl," Lightning told Luna as he pulled her away. Luna responded with a kick to Lightning's groin, making him squeal out in pain before falling on top of Scott. Luna then skipped off when she noticed a red scallop shell with black stripes hanging from the top of one of the walls. "Precious..." she giggled. She was suddenly blinded when Dawn jumped on her and covered her eyes. "Off of me, tree hugger!" Luna lashed out.

"I won't let you grab that!" Dawn protested.

"That's the last one," Ethan breathed out after cutting the twine off the dolls with his sword.

"Thanks," Millie replied. "Let's get out of this mess, guys." She, Priya and Lucas started running off, but Helen was a bit more hesitant. "Go with your friends," Ethan assured her. "We can handle this." He froze when he heard Paul's pained cry. "Paul!" Ethan and Melody gasped. Uraya flung the mechanic into the wall, knocking him out. Ethan and Melody raced towards him. "Damn brats," Uraya scowled as she raised a clawed hand. She then unleashed a blast of green lightning from her fingertips, zapping Ethan and Melody. "Seriously?" Ethan groaned as he struggled to lift himself up. Uraya raised her hand again when she was hit in the face by a rock. "Back off, you crazy cat lady!" Helen shouted as she threw another rock. She then ducked at the lightning while racing towards the fallen guys. However, her luck ran out as she got hit with some lightning. "Miss Helen..." Ethan moaned.

"Aw, the poor birdies can't fly anymore," Uraya cackled. Meanwhile, Dawn and Luna were still fighting until Luna managed to kick Dawn off. "Nice going, Creepy Girl," Scott scoffed while struggling to free himself from underneath Lightning. Dawn got to her feet when she noticed Uraya zapping Helen, Melody, Ethan and Paul. She turned to Luna, who was climbing closer to the shell. "AHH!" Helen cried out in pain. "HELP!" Dawn got a determined look before running towards the group. "Are you nuts?!" Scott protested.

"Uraya!" Dawn declared, catching her attention. "I am the one you want. Leave them alone!"

"So, the pesky mouse finally shows herself," Uraya taunted. "You look like little trouble to take down." She lunged at Dawn, but was surprised to see she grabbed nothing. Uraya then was shocked to see bands of ivy wrapped around her arms and legs. "I will not let you torment these innocent people anymore," Dawn sternly told her from a distance. "Great evil, get thee hence, for only light can recompense for the cruelty that you've done, demon, return from whence you've come!" A bright light engulfed Uraya as she let out an ear-piercing scream. A second later, the light faded, revealing only a green-and-black rose in the middle of the vines. "She...she turned into a flower?" Helen thought as she weakly got to her feet.

"It's actually quite sad," Dawn sighed before picking up the rose, "That such beauty can come from such wicked sources."

"Speaking of wicked," Scott groaned as he wormed his way free, "I'd think it's high-time I gave that crazy bitch a piece of my mind!"

"Luna! Where is she?" Dawn looked up and gasped when she saw the shell missing from the wall. "She took the shell," she fearfully breathed out. "She took it."

"Miss Dawn," Ethan began as he carried the unconscious Paul and Melody on his back, "If I may be so frank, I think you owe us a little bit of an explanation for just what occurred here."

"Knightsy makes a point," Scott agreed. "You know way more about this than you're letting on."

"And just why was that shell so important that you couldn't let Miss Luna have it?"

"Uh, how about focusing on getting out of here?" Helen suggested. "The others must've found the statues by now."

"Yes," Dawn replied. "Let's leave." In another area, the angler fish beast was marching down the tunnel. "Damn, he's a quick little sucker," Sarah groaned as she, Zoey and Ezekiel gave chase on Sarah's skateboard. "But even if we catch up, how do we stop him?"

"Sol said Ella and Ethan's voices are the only thing to stop it," Zoey recalled. "Maybe getting Ella to talk will make that thing stop."

"Sounds like a good plan," Ezekiel agreed.

"We don't even know where she is," Sarah pointed out. "The least we can do is stall the beast before Ella eventually starts talking. She can't stay silent forever." The trio soon came side-to-side with the fish beast. "Yo, Smelly!" Sarah shouted. "Your mother was an eel!" The angler fish beast simply knocked the trio away before continuing its path. "Sarah, you were right," Zoey groaned. "Using that stone was a stupid idea. Thanks for not rubbing it in too much."

Inside a large room, Carly and Max ran inside and noticed something on the platform. "Hey, look!" Carly exclaimed. "I can see some statues of Chris! That must be it!"

"Chris statues?" Max complained. "Such an egomaniac."

"Probably the only thing we can agree on. Stay put and no funny stuff while I grab the statue."

"Sorry, Morningstar," Keith taunted as he, Brick and Phoebe entered the room, "But I'LL get the statue first!"

"Welcome to the statue room at last," Chris announced over the intercom. "What took you guys so long?"

"Your maps aren't exactly accurate," Brick noted. "At least getting the statues will be easy enough."

"You might wanna rethink that," Chris told him. "After all, what's a grand treasure without a protector?" The room started to rumble as the group heard heavy footsteps. "Behold!" Chris announced as some red eyes peered from the darkness and smoke puffed out. "The guardian of the Treasure of Chris McLean!" What stepped out was a large, metallic, ferocious...hippopotamus. "Hippo," Phoebe noted.

"Oh, no!" Carly gasped. "How frightening!"

"That's frightening?" Keith scoffed. "It's pathetic."

"No, it's very scary," Brick said in a less-than-convincing tone. "I can't imagine anything scarier."

"Definitely qualifies on my top five EVIL minion wish list," Max thought.

"Are you nuts?!" Keith cried out in frustration. "It-" Carly nudged him in the stomach to silence him.

Confessional: Carly (Screaming Gophers)

"Can't he take a hint? Chris could probably thinks up worse things than a hippo, like a dragon or a dinosaur."

End Confessional

The mechanical hippo roared before shooting a fireball out of its jaws. "Still think it's not a threat?" Brick told Keith.

"Excuse me, Mister Chris," Phoebe spoke up as she hugged Pete, "But hippos don't breathe fire."

"You really couldn't tell it was a robot?" Keith asked. "On second thought, don't answer that." The duo ducked at another fireball, though it made Phoebe lose her grip on Pete. "Pete!" Phoebe gasped as she saw the stuffed penguin fly until it landed on the edge of a very deep chasm. "Oh, no!"

"Too bad," Max teased.

"Max, drop the villainy stunt for now," Brick scolded. "Don't worry, Phoebe. I'll-" The metal hippo charged into him, knocking him into where the statues were and rolling the Chris statue with a purple bottom closer to Keith. "A straight shot to victory," Keith chuckled.

"Pete!" Phoebe cried out while pinned underneath the metal hippo's foot. Keith looked over to the chasm, where the stuffed penguin was precariously dangling from, them to the statues, which Carly was getting closer to. Keith took a breath, started running...and dove down the chasm just as the stuffed penguin fell off. "KEITH!" Brick screamed as he rushed over to the ledge.

Confessional: Brick (Frogs of Death)

"He just...he really... And the last words I said to him were full of hate! I'll never forgive myself if he doesn't make it!"

End Confessional

Sol soon walked in on Anne-Maria trying to pull Valerie away from Owen's grasp. "I said to quit it, you big ball of lard!" Anne-Maria scolded. Sol turned to see Harold holding DJ back while Geoff guarded Bridgette, then to Alejandro struggling to get out of Heather's hug. "Lindsay!" Tyler shouted as he waved his hand in front of her face. "Quit hugging Topher! I'M the one you wanna hug, remember?"

"Hmm," Sol thought, "There wouldn't have been a lady in here earlier with a cowbell around her neck, would there?"

"How did you know that?" Geoff asked. Sol simply pulled a vial out of his pocket. "I've got your remedy," he assured them, "But it ain't gonna be all too pleasant-smelling. Fire in the hole!" He slammed the vial on the ground, releasing a green gas. The gas first reached DJ, whose eyes returned to normal. "Awkward," he noted as he backed away from Bridgette.

"We're not that friendly with each other, you know," Bridgette reminded him. The gas reached the others and snapped them out of their trances. "Oh, hi, Valerie," Owen chuckled as he noticed Valerie's grumpy expression. He was suddenly sprayed in the face with Anne-Maria's hairspray, making him cough and drop Valerie. "EW!" Heather complained before shoving Alejandro away. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Whatever you did worked, Sol," Alejandro sighed in relief. However, he noticed the Cajun boy had vanished. "Are you Tyler?" Lindsay asked Topher.

"I am most certainly not," Topher informed her. "Now please let me go."

"We'd better get back to finding those statues," DJ nervously spoke up. "And probably forget what just happened."

"Agreed," Alejandro replied. Back with the chest, Shane was sealing it shut with some glue. "There we go," he muttered. "That'll keep anyone from getting these ill-fated trinkets. Hopefully." He then noticed Ella solemnly entering the room. "Oh, hi, Ella. Um, are you okay? Or feeling any better?" However, Ella remained silent with the same sad expression. "I know getting rejected must've felt awful," Shane sighed. "I understand that feeling. But you can't stay clammed up forever. Everyone's getting worried about you." A sudden shriek caught the duo's attention. They then saw the angler fish beast marching towards them. "He looks like trouble," Shane gulped. "Let's get out of here!" He scooped up Ella bridal-style and ran out of the room down the tunnel. However, the duo ended up colliding with Rodney, Nikki and Helga and crashing into a dog pile. "Oh, man," Nikki groaned as she rubbed her head. "What just happened?"

"I think we're in the clear now," Rodney sighed. He then heard the angler fish beast shriek as it entered the room. "Scratch that, big guy," Shane gulped. "Get the girls, I mean, Nikki and Ella, to a safe place while we hold that thing off." Helga simply pushed Nikki and Ella a few feet away. "Safe," she stated. "Now Helga turn fish into fingers...or however saying goes."

"I'm with you," Rodney agreed. The two lunged at the fish beast, but it simply grabbed them in its finned hands. "Hold still, you guys!" Shane assured them. "I'll help!" He tripped over a stone, getting his foot wedged stuck. "Damn it," he grumbled as he struggled to free himself. He got a fearful look as the angler fish beast kept marching ahead with him in its direct pathway. Ella was wobbling to her feet when she noticed the immediate danger ahead and Shane closing his eyes, bracing for impact. "SHANE!" she fearfully cried out. With that, the fish beast froze before it started fading away. It then transformed into a huge swarm of ladybugs, dropping Rodney and Helga in the process. Ella then ran over to Shane and helped him free his foot. "Are you alright?" she asked.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Shane exclaimed as he hugged the princess. "I don't know what you did, but you saved us all! You're a hero!" A ladybug landed on his nose, and the duo burst out in laughter. "Aw, that's so sweet," Rodney gushed as he and Helga returned to their feet. "It feels straight out of a fairy tale."

"How so?" Helga asked.

"The way those two just drift towards each other so naturally...it's a hell of a lot better than what that crazy cow hag was pulling."

"What are you talking about?" Shane asked.

"Did you not see ugly monster?" Helga questioned.

"It was really awful!" Rodney cried out. "It had nappy blonde hair and eyes black as ink..."

"A cute dress that looks like a cow?" Ella wondered.

"Definitely made it look like a co- Wait, how did you know about...?" Helga turned Rodney around, and he screamed when he saw Bella staring him down. "Rodney, that's hurtful to say," Ella told him. "She's no monster."

"She is so a monster!" Rodney protested. "With the bell and the eyes and the kissy-kissy..."

"Oh, this boy is just upset he's not feeling the love," Bella giggled. "Now hold still for a moment." She rang her cowbell, releasing some pink mist. "ENOUGH!" Helga declared as she whacked the gas away with her fists. "I will not let you keep this little stunt of yours going! You take your little bell and your ass AND GO HOME!"

"Aw, whatever for?" Bella taunted. "Everyone wants love, don't they? Don't you want a guy chasing you with love?" Helga screamed before she tackled Bella and quickly got into a fist-fight. Ella and Shane could only stare in shock while Rodney had an awestruck look.

Confessional: Rodney (Confused Bears)

"Yep, she's awesome."

End Confessional

Helga soon pulled the cowbell off Bella's neck and tossed it away. "My bell!" Bella gasped. "Okay, okay, you win! I'll go!"

"You'd better," Helga growled out after releasing her grip. Bella quickly picked up her bell, which had a small crack on one side. "Whatever," she scoffed. "I still got what I wanted. Nyah!" She then vanished, leaving a heart-shaped puff of smoke behind. "She disappeared," Ella noted, "Just like Mister Ingrozi."

"You don't think-?" Shane gulped.

"Don't think," Rodney cut off. "What matters is that she's gone and...I wanna go back to camp! It's crazy down here!" Helga rolled her eyes at Rodney's crying before she dragged him away by his foot. "There you are, Ella," Sarah breathed out as she, Ezekiel and Zoey rushed into the room. "What the hell happened? The fish thing...where is it?"

"It's gone," Shane informed her. "Ella saved the day. But how did you know-? Zoey?" He and the others saw Zoey had fainted. "It's a lot for her to take in," Sarah sighed. "Also, what was that with Helga and Rodney just now?"

"You kidding?" Nikki replied as she rubbed her head. "Those lovebirds?"

"Lovebirds? Helga? No way."

"Yes way. It's just on a bit of a rocky path right now." Meanwhile, Brick had just pulled Phoebe free from the mechanical hippo. "Where's Coach?" she whimpered.

"I, um, I'm sure he'll be okay," Brick weakly assured her. "Same with Pete. Just have hope."

"Uh, we should probably check if Keith is okay," Carly thought as she stopped herself from getting the Gophers' Chris statue. "Right?"

"You guys can waste time with that," Heather told them as she, Lindsay, Owen, Alejandro, Tyler, DJ, Geoff, Bridgette, Harold, Anne-Maria, Topher and Valerie entered the room, "But I have a challenge to win."

"Whoa," Harold breathed out as he saw the mechanical hippo, "Amazing." The hippo shot a fireball at the group. "And deadly!" Topher shouted. "Then again, what's a treasure without something to guard it, am I right?"

"I got the statue!" Max exclaimed as he wielded the Gophers' Chris statue. "Victory!" He yelped when a fireball hit him in the butt. "It won't count unless someone gives it to Chris first," Heather reminded him as she pulled him away. "Let's go, Gophers! Move!" Valerie tried to grab the Frogs' statue but the hippo kept blocking her path. "Aha!" Alejandro declared as he grabbed his team's statue. "Tyler, rally everyone that we've got our treasure. We must not come in last place."

"You got it, Al!" Tyler happily replied.

"Any sign of him?" Brick asked Carly as he held her by her ankles.

"I-I-I can't tell!" Carly cried out. "It's too dark!" She barely dodged a falling rock. "I'm sorry, Brick. It...it's no use." Brick solemnly pulled her back up. "Let's go, Phoebe," he sighed as he started to carry her.

"But..." Phoebe protested. "He'll be okay. He'll be okay."

Confessional: Brick (Frogs of Death)

"I don't know how to tell her the truth. It'll destroy her; I just know it!"

End Confessional

Anne-Maria and Valerie were holding off the hippo. "Whoo-hoo!" Geoff cheered after grabbing his team's statue. "Let's go, dudes!"

"Quit attacking me, you tub of lard!" Valerie scolded to the hippo. "Go after someone else!" The mechanical hippo then started storming towards the Rats. "Easy, there," DJ told it. "We ain't gonna bother you. Right, guys?"

"Right," Harold agreed.

Confessional: Harold (Toxic Rats)

"Hippopotamuses are actually one of the most dangerous animals in all of Africa. Their jaw strength can easily beat that of the most powerful dog. So, yeah, we were in serious trouble back there."

End Confessional

The mechanical hippo opened its jaws and started to ready its biggest fireball yet. "We're doomed!" Harold cried out. However, the hippo was knocked out by a statue hitting it in the head. "Not cool, big guy," Geoff told it while holding the Rats' now-broken statue.

"Geoff, did you just save our necks?" DJ breathed out. "And...break the statue we needed?"

"No worries, dudes." Geoff picked up another statue on the ground. "Got a spare ready for Chrismeister," he announced. The cave began to rumble as rocks started falling down. "The cave's collapsing!" Harold realized. "We've gotta get out of here!" The group started to rush out and soon everyone was back at the cave entrance. "Hurry!" Julia rallied as she put on her scuba gear. The Gophers rushed through the water first, followed by the Bears, then the Rats and finally the Frogs. Back up on the platform, Sky was nervously pacing back and forth. "You're gonna make yourself seasick that way," Dean informed her.

"I can't help it," Sky explained. "My team's down there with who knows what and I can't do anything about it!" She let out a shout as she saw the Gophers jump out of the water and into the canoes. "Start rowing," Lacey ordered to them.

"You okay, Sky?" Alejandro asked as he and the Bears surfaced. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Please tell me you've completed the challenge," Sky moaned.

"We will if we start rowing our canoes," Priya explained. "Come on!"

"MOVE!" Julia shouted to the Rats as they rowed ahead. "Faster, faster!"

"We're going as fast as we can!" DJ panted. Back towards the beach, the Gophers' canoes were the first to reach land. "Here's the statue," Heather told Chris as she passed it to him.

"And we have our winner!" Chris announced. "The Screaming Gophers!"

"Whoo-hoo!" Owen cheered. "We actually won!"

"We won?" Carly breathed out.

"See, guys," Heather told the team, "It really was because of that curse that stupid scout put on us." Carly frowned before giving Heather a hard punch in the nose. "Wow," Lacey chuckled. "Respect."

"I believe second place is ours," Alejandro said as he passed the statue to Chris.

"Consider yourselves safe, Confused Bears," Chris announced. "And I can see the Rats coming."

"Yes!" Julia exclaimed. "Sweet safety!"

"We're in last place?!" Jo complained. "Damn it!"

"I'm sure we'll bounce back quickly," Topher assured her.

"He'll be okay," Phoebe muttered. "He'll be okay. He'll be okay. He'll be okay."

"God, make that broken record stop already!" Blainley complained as she covered her ears. Suddenly, a large mud-covered figure stepped onto the beach. "ZOMBIE!" Shawn panicked.

"What is that hideous thing?!" Valerie shrieked. Phoebe noticed that the mud figure was holding a bag in his hands...with a stuffed penguin inside. She immediately ran over to him and hugged him. "You're okay!" she exclaimed. "You're really here!"

"Keith?" Brick squeaked out. "That you?"

"Who else would it be?" the mud figure teased as he wiped the mud away, revealing the boxer's face.

"But we saw...and we were so worried..."

"You worried over me? Did aliens replace you or something, cadet?"

"You saved Pete, coach," Phoebe told Keith as she cuddled the stuffed penguin. "You really did! You're a true hero!"

"You did surprise me," Brick admitted. "I mean, I didn't think you'd choose Phoebe's buddy there over the statue."

"So we not only came in last place," Jo seethed as she stormed over to the group, "But this bonehead made us come empty-handed over some toy?!"

"And I'd do the same thing all over again in a heartbeat!" Keith snapped back at her.

"Too bad that selflessness will cost you the game."

"What's wrong with being selfless?" Geoff asked as he held up the broken statue.

"Hang on a second, Rats," Chris told them. "Seems you're short one statue."

"No worries, man. I picked up a spare." Geoff held up the intact statue. "That's not a spare, you dunce!" Julia scolded. "That's the Frogs' statue! Uh, but it still counts for us, right? Frogs are empty-handed."

"Win denied, Rats," Chris sternly decided. "You'll be the ones going to elimination tonight."

"What just happened?" Keith asked.

"Your good action was rewarded in a way," Brick informed him. "Good for you."

"Where the hell is that maniac?!" Scott shouted.

"You mean Luna?" Dean asked as he rowed onto the beach. "She was actually the first to surface over everybody, but Stan had to rush her to the medical tent. Turns out she got the bends."

"Serves her right!" Priya declared.

"She ought to be put in a straightjacket," Millie suggested.

"What world-ending disaster event did my sister cause this time?" Sol sighed. "She didn't get a hold of those deux couteaux stones, did she?"

"That wouldn't mean something along the lines of 'double-edged', would it?" Shane realized.

"Nah, they're wishing stones," Ezekiel corrected.

"Dangerous wishing stones," Sol informed him. "Know why they're called two-knived? Because for anything you wished for, you must always have a bad thing accompanying it. But you and Hermione there insisted on using it for your friend even after I warned you both."

"I know," Zoey moaned.

"Uh, let's just head back to the cabins," Shane suggested. "It's been a long day."

Confessional: Shane (Frogs of Death)

"That explains the catch that demon was talking about. But I can't really fault Zeke and Zoey for just trying to do a good deed for a friend. And that huge fish monster technically did help Ella finally start talking again, so there's that."

End Confessional

"Alright, Creepy Girl," Lightning began as he, Scott and Ethan stood in the doorway of the Rat cabin. "You'd better start talking."

"Where's Melody?" Dawn asked.

"She and Paul are resting inside the Bear cabin," Ethan informed her, "With Sir Greg and Miss Destiny keeping an eye on them for good measure. Now your turn to answer. Just who was that in the caves back there?"

"And what does Luna and some weird shell have to do with all of this?" Scott added. Dawn let out a breath. "Okay," she sighed. "I suppose holding it all in won't do any good. But I must start at the beginning, before this competition was even thought of. When I was younger, I saw my sister get kidnapped by this hooded figure. When I got older, I found out what really took her away: a demon."

"Demon?" Lightning thought. "You're sha-joking, right?"

"She wouldn't kid with this, Sir Lightning," Ethan told him. "Was that cat woman a demon, then?"

"One of them," Dawn replied.

"You mean there's more of those freaks?" Scott demanded.

"Unfortunately. Each of the demons personifies either a sin or a deadly virtue. Greed, lust, pride, fear, envy, disease, the list goes on. But the most dangerous one is the Demon of Destruction. He was sealed away at about the same time my sister was taken, and a prophecy decided that she was the best vessel for the demon, and if he was ever released...well, it's better if you didn't imagine it."

"Wait a minute," Ethan thought. "This sister of yours...it wouldn't happen to have been Miss Melody, would it?"

"Those two don't even look alike," Scott argued, "Or act alike."

"But he is correct," Dawn informed the group. "She...she is my sister, even if she doesn't recall it."

"How could a dude forget a sibling?" Lightning thought.

"I think whatever demon grabbed Melody messed with her memory to keep her under control," Ethan guessed. "But I'm curious, Miss Dawn: might this be connected to why Paul is more...protective of Melody as of late?"

"I asked Paul to keep an eye on her to make sure she was safe," Dawn explained.

"So...how does Luna fit into all of this?" Scott asked.

"I fear that she is trying to resurrect the sealed evil, and her actions today only confirmed it. That shell was part of a ritual to summon the Demon of Destruction."

"Dear heavens," Ethan breathed out with shock. "We must make sure that she is banished from this place so that may never happen."

"Well, it's a lucky thing that the Rats have to vote someone out, huh?" Scott informed them with a smirk.

"But what about that sha-nasty Julia?" Lightning argued.

"Can't you set aside your grudge just for one day?" Ethan suggested. "This might be fate-of-the-world stuff we're dealing with here. Please?"

"Fine, but Julia goes next."

"Whatever gets you voting Crazy Girl off," Scott shrugged. He and Lightning walked off in different directions. Ethan started off, but he quickly gave Dawn a hug first. "I can't imagine the pain you're in," he said, "But I assure you that we will protect Melody no matter what."

"Thank you," Dawn tearfully replied.

Confessional: Ethan (Confused Bears)

"I can't imagine all the pain Miss Dawn must've felt all throughout this competition and before that. If any of my siblings were taken like that, I'd break down in an instant."

End Confessional

Ethan rushed over to the Bears' cabin but was surprised to see Ella standing in the doorway. "Oh," he began. "Um, hello, Miss Eleanor."

"It's okay," Ella sighed. "I was just leaving." Ethan took a glance inside, where he saw Melody asleep on the bed, Paul sleeping on the floor, Destiny marching back and forth like a soldier, and Greg reading a book. "Actually," he requested, "May we talk outside in private, Eleanor?" Later, the two were sitting on some rocks far away from the others. "So...here we are," Ella started.

"Miss Eleanor," Ethan finally spoke up to break the tense air, "First, I wanted to apologize for how Miss Julia broke the situation. It wasn't how I wanted this to be cleared up."

"No need to apologize for that. It wasn't your fault. But...is what she said true?" Ethan let out a hefty sigh. "It's true," he admitted. "While I appreciate that you see me that way, it's a feeling that I don't share."

"I...understand," Ella sadly sighed.

"It's not you. You're a great woman and I'm sure you'll find your prince soon. It's just that...my heart belongs to someone else." Ella noticed that Ethan's gaze drifted over to the Bear cabin, where she saw Paul stepping outside before Destiny dragged him back inside. "I think I understand now," Ella realized. "Your heart yearns for a prince instead of a princess."

"Y-yes," Ethan bashfully admitted as his cheeks turned pink. "But I still want us to be friends. Could that still be...?"

"Of course, Ethan! I want us to stay friends. But...what you said earlier...you really think there's someone for me?"

"Definitely, and that man might be closer than you think." The duo shared a hug.

Confessional: Ethan (Confused Bears)

He let out a breath. "It feels like a heavy weight has been lifted off my chest. Why didn't I think of talking to her sooner? And I do think there's someone here on the island for her. Like, say, a fallen hero who might need her help to rise back to his feet."

End Confessional

Back by the cave, Julia was angrily pacing back and forth while Luna, Alejandro, Sugar, Max, Scarlett, Jo, Samey and Valerie were sitting on the ground. "Those idiots!" Julia complained. "How could my team screw up so badly?!"

"Most men are idiots, my dear," Valerie informed her. "That's why it's easy for us to trick them, you know."

"Well, there's no excuse for a third of our alliance to be absent," Max scoffed.

"Heather and Echo did win the spa hotel after four losses in a row," Alejandro noted.

"But why Bowie and Scottie?" Luna questioned. "Especially if they started this stuff in the first place. Perhaps those goody-goodies like Pirate Boy and Nature Girl are causing them to sway away."

"Speaking of sway," Valerie spoke up, "I think that bag of muscles Keith will be crawling back to us and begging us to protect him."

"Think again," Keith suddenly declared as he stormed up to the group.

"Oh, Keith," Samey greeted. "Uh, before you ask, we didn't say anything bad about you."

"And you brought that fleabag back," Valerie scoffed when she saw Barry in Keith's hands. Barry snapped his teeth at her, making her back away. "Save the flattery for some other sucker," Keith sternly told them, "Because I'm not it."

"Whatever do you mean, my friend?" Alejandro innocently asked.

"Don't try to pull that stunt. I know damn well what you guys are up to and are just stringing me along because I'm useful. But you made one crucial mistake: messing with my allies."

"It was simply to determine where your loyalties truly lie," Scarlett informed him.

"Oh, I know EXACTLY where they lie, and I only have one thing to say to you guys: fuck off!"

"You mean you're leaving the alliance?" Samey gasped.

"You'll regret that, Ape Face," Jo warned him.

"That won't happen," Keith smugly replied before his expression turned serious. "But mess with Phoebe again and you're in for a world of hell." He then stormed off with Barry, but not before he flipped off the group. "Great," Sugar grumbled. "Now we only got a dozen. That's only good for eggs and jelly donuts!"

"Make it eleven, Sugar," Scarlett corrected, "As Julia is no doubt the prime target for the Rats' elimination."

"Maybe not," Alejandro thought. "I have an idea, Julia, but in order for it to work, you need to make sure that Geoff is in the bottom two with you."

"Of course he will be," Julia scoffed. "He's the reason my team lost!"

"Perfect." Back at the cabins, Ezekiel was busy writing on some paper. "Hello, Ezekiel," Alejandro greeted as he walked inside. "May I ask what you're writing there?"

"Just writing some romantic stuff Bridgette might like," Ezekiel explained. "Even double-checking the spelling. It's something I pride myself on."

"But I thought you were over her."

"Oh, no! The plan is to give it to Geoff so he can give it to Bridgette. A way of wooing, eh. Clever, isn't it?"

"Yes, very. I do hope the couple is united by tonight."

"Uh, tonight? Why? Something special gonna happen?"

"I'm not sure if Geoff's elimination will count as 'special'. I heard Julia rallying everyone to vote him off for making them lose."

"What?! No! It can't be!"

"Sadly, it be. And I'm afraid Bridgette will take tonight's elimination the hardest, seeing a close friend get booted..."

"Well, I'm gonna stop it!" Ezekiel declared as he stood up. He quickly gathered his papers and burst into a run, though he quickly crashed into Ethan and Ella. "Ezekiel, what's the rush?" Ethan asked.

"Kinda short on time right now, buddy," Ezekiel explained as he collected his papers and passed them to the knight. "Here. Give these to Geoff tomorrow morning and tell him to give it to his love, eh. I've got a romance to save!" He rushed off. "What just happened?" Ella wearily asked as she dizzily returned to his feet. Ethan just shrugged in response.

Later that night, the Toxic Rats were at the campfire ceremony. Duncan, DJ, Harold, Lightning, Anthony, Bowie and Courtney were seated in the back row while Dawn, Scott, Sam, Bridgette, Luna, Austin, Julia and Geoff were seated in the front row. "Alrighty, campers," Chris began as he held up a plate of marshmallows. "Good to see a team other than the Gophers for a change. Toxic Rats, time to vote off one lucky loser."

Confessional: Courtney (Toxic Rats)

"Geoff, of course. Julia's at least competent in the challenges."

Confessional: Austin (Toxic Rats)

"Sorry, Geoff."

Confessional: Anthony (Toxic Rats)

"Finally! Her day of reckoning has come!"

Confessional: DJ (Toxic Rats)

"Julia. Geoff's my buddy."

Confessional: Scott (Toxic Rats)

"Luna can forget expecting protection from the Villain Alliance anymore."

Confessional: Lightning (Toxic Rats)

He looked between Julia and Luna's picture with uncertainty.

Confessional: Bowie (Toxic Rats)

"Well, you were useful while you lasted, Jules."

End Confessionals

"Your votes have been counted," Chris announced. "If you do not receive a marshmallow, it's Dock of Shame time for you. The following Rats are safe: Duncan, Bridgette, Lightning, Anthony, Bowie, Scott, DJ, Harold, Courtney, Austin, Sam and Dawn. Which leaves Luna, Julia and Geoff at risk. And tonight's lucky loser is..." Luna simply toyed with her cornrows while Geoff and Julia shared a concerned look. "..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"WAIT!" Ezekiel exclaimed as he skid over to Chris, much to the Rats' confusion. "I'LL be the one going home tonight!" The Rats all gasped in shock at this news. "But-but why?" Bridgette asked.

"Because I'm not gonna let that ugly Julia break up the sweetness you've got with your buddy Geoff," Ezekiel explained.

"Aw, how romantic!" DJ gushed.

"H-hang on!" Scott protested. "I object to this! Chris's rule for quitting, remember?"

"That technically only applies to the smart Damien," Chris informed him. "But Zeke, dude, last chance to call it off."

"No," Ezekiel decided. "I've made up my mind."

"Fine. Hurl of Shame for Ezekiel tonight." Chris and Ezekiel started to walk to the Dock of Shame. "Aw, man," Scott moaned under his breath.

"Another day, Scott," Dawn assured him. "Another day."

"Hey, what's this?" Bridgette thought as she noticed some papers underneath the marshmallow plate. She picked them up and gasped after she looked over them. "ZEKE!" she cried out as she ran off. At the Hurl of Shame, Ezekiel was sitting inside the catapult. "I think I did pretty well here, eh," he said as Chris walked over to the lever. "At least I wasn't the first boot. Could you imagine?"

"Zeke!" Bridgette shouted in the distance. "Julia got the most votes, not Geoff!"

"Wait, what did she say?"

"Sorry," Chris loudly replied. "Can't hear you!" He pulled the lever, flinging Ezekiel off the island. "Zeke!" Bridgette cried out as she reached the Dock of Shame. "No. T-too late..." She fell to her knees as a look of despair was painted onto her face. "Another dramatic elimination has concluded," Chris announced. "Another camper has been flung off the island. Who'll go next? My money's on the Surfer Girl."

"Hey!" Bridgette protested.

"But find out on the next episode of Total...Drama...Island!"

Back inside the Frog cabin, Keith was snoring as he slept when he was suddenly awakened by Phoebe. "There you are, coach," she said.

"It's one AM, for crying out loud!" Keith complained.

"But Brick wanted us to meet him by that twisty tree tonight. Come on." Phoebe pulled Keith out of bed, with Barry following behind. "I swear if that cadet is trying something..." Keith grumbled. However, both he and Phoebe were stunned to see that the twisted willow tree had a few...alterations. A tire swing hung on one branch, a regular swing on a second branch, an orange-and-yellow hammock hung on two other branches, and a punching bag was dangling from a third branch. "Surprise, guys," Brick announced as he popped out from behind the tree.

"Wow," Phoebe gushed. "It's so pretty, Brick. Did you make this?"

"I had some spare time after the challenge and needed a way to relax. And Keith, after what happened today, well, I figured I owe you a bit of an apology."

"Save it, cadet," Keith told him before lying back in the hammock. "I wanna get some rest so I can start clobbering the Villain Alliance as soon as I can."

"What?" Phoebe asked as she swung on the regular swing. "I don't get it. Miss Scarlett said-"

"She and all the others can kiss my butt after I win the million bucks."

"So you're no longer with them?" Brick thought. "That's great! I bet if we work together, we can send those bad guys packing!"

"To no more villains!" Phoebe cheered as she swung back and forth as Barry sat on her lap. Keith rolled his eyes, but he still had a small smile on his face.

Votes:

Voted for Julia: Duncan, Bridgette, Geoff, DJ, Harold, Anthony, Bowie

Voted for Luna: Dawn, Sam, Scott, Lightning

Voted for Geoff: Courtney, Julia, Austin, Luna

Eliminated: Ezekiel (Quit)

100) Caleb (Toxic Rats)

99) Staci (Toxic Rats)

98) B (Toxic Rats)

97) Axel (Frogs of Death)

96) Elias (Screaming Gophers)

95) Eva (Confused Bears)

94) Olivia (Screaming Gophers)

93/92) Katie/Sadie (Confused Bears)

91) Noah (Confused Bears)

90) Justin (Screaming Gophers)

89) Nichelle (Toxic Rats)

88) Lauren (Confused Bears)

87) Dean (Confused Bears)

86) Alan (Screaming Gophers)

85) Leonard (Toxic Rats)

84) 'Dumb' Damien (Screaming Gophers)

83/82) Corey (Screaming Gophers)/Laney (Frogs of Death)

81) Jane (Frogs of Death)

80) 'Smart' Damien (Frogs of Death)

79) MK (Toxic Rats)

78/77) Wayne/Raj (Toxic Rats)

76) Dakota (Toxic Rats)

75) Lara (Confused Bears)

74) Beardo (Confused Bears)

73) Amy (Frogs of Death)

72) Ripper (Frogs of Death)

71) Chase (Screaming Gophers)

70) Emma (Toxic Rats)

69) Izzy (Screaming Gophers)

68) Cody (Screaming Gophers)

67) Beth (Screaming Gophers)

66) Rose (Screaming Gophers)

65) Ezekiel (Confused Bears)

Episode 33, everybody! And boy, is it a long one yet again. First, the elimination. Sadly, Ezekiel fell prey to Alejandro's manipulation and quit thinking it was to save his friend Bridgette's love interest Geoff, yet he inadvertently saved Julia instead. Still, the homeschooler did pretty well with his run.

Lots of stuff definitely happened in this episode, but two storylines stood out in particular: Dawn with the reveal that Melody is actually her long-lost sister and is trying to keep her safe from both the demons and Luna, and Keith in regards with his standing between the Villain Alliance and his loyalty towards both Phoebe and now Brick.

We also had other stuff like Ethan and Ella, Shane and Ella, Bowie and Anthony, etc.

Also, the challenge is based off of LaCuevademisgustos's scuba challenge from Chaotic Camp.

Next episode will have our campers climbing up a very tragic mountain before playing a chillier version of Capture the Flag. Until next time, enjoy and have a good day.