"Last time on Total Drama Island," Chris recapped, "The teams were given three challenges that tested their trust in their teammates." The scene flashed back to Lacey getting hit with crab apples, then to Valerie's pants getting ripped off. "The rock climbing challenge revealed more than just Mike's disdain for Valerie..." Chris continued. The scene changed to Helen after eating the blowfish Lindsay made. "And Helen got the bad end of a blowfish, courtesy of Lindsay." The scene changed to Keith searching for Barry. "Keith was frantic when he thought his and Phoebe's weird pet ran away." The scene changed to Barry getting snagged up in a chest by Alejandro. "Even though Alejandro snatched him to throw them off their game. Sneaky." The scene changed to Trent lunging after Gwen, with Sky holding him back. "And Gwen thought she could trust her totally-not-love interest Trent. Huge mistake, by the way."
...
The scene changed to Greg and Heather falling into the pool of jellyfish. "Some campers got dropped on their butts right into a shocking pool..." Chris continued. The scene changed to Duncan luring Barry back and giving him to Phoebe. "But more shocking was when Duncan showed Lacey his softer side. Yeah, touching moments. Good times." The scene changed to Carly yelling at Echo after the toboggan race. "But not as good as Carly finally snapping at Echo..." The scene changed to Echo sobbing into Bryan's arms. "Only for Echo to spin things around to make Carly out as the bully." The scene changed to Echo's elimination and her being taken off in a straight-jacket. "But the joke was on her as Bryan got Dean to reveal all of Echo's dirty laundry and send her right off the island, earning a win for the good guys and not-so-good guys."
...
The scene returned to Chris on the dock as Stan buffed his toenails. "All fun and games," Chris narrated. "Minus for me because I now lost a drama printer-"
"And a sociopath," Stan remarked.
"I didn't say you could speak. And you call that buffing? I want to see my ruggedly handsome face in every toenail." Stan filed Chris's nails faster. "Who will thrive and who won't survive?" Chris narrated. "And will the distrust from yesterday cause more fights?"
"This is the Department of Environmental Protections!" a man announced as a helicopter flew nearby. "You're busted, McLean!"
"Aw, man! Meddling tree huggers." Chris pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Launch Operation Doomsday! Repeat, Operation Doomsday! Over! What is Operation Doomsday, you ask? Find out right here, right now on Total...Drama...Island!"
(cue commercial)
It was early the next morning. Inside the Gopher cabin, things were still tense from the last elimination. "Well..." Helen spoke up, "That all was...unexpected, wasn't it?"
"I can't believe he kept something like that from us," Heather noted. "Makes you wonder if he could ever be trusted again, hmm?"
"Don't start with that, Heather," Lacey warned her. "It's not a 'get out of jail free' card for you to exploit." She walked outside, slamming the door behind her. "Damn witch," Lacey grumbled.
"Yo, Lace," Duncan called out as he leaned next to another cabin. "Got a second? You did say you wanted to talk."
"Oh, yeah. Duncan, be honest: am I...overreacting to this whole kiss between you and Zoey?"
"Not really, no. I'd be pissed if the roles got swapped. But you might wanna hear Zoey's side of things before you continue your raging warpath of vengeance. From what I hear, the girl was seconds away from confessing everything to you before Echo spilled everything first."
"Yeah, the despicable little weasel." Lacey noticed Duncan's surprised look. "I meant Echo," she clarified. "It's a long story. I'll try, Duncan, but I make no promises."
"That's my girl," Duncan replied with a smirk as he held up a hand. He and Lacey shared a quick fist-bump.
Confessional: Lacey (Screaming Gophers)
"The dude's right. I can't let this grudge get too out of hand. You saw what happened with Jasmine. I don't want history repeating that."
End Confessional
Inside the spa hotel, things were much more joyous. Nikki and Helga were doing some karaoke as Tyler and Greg danced along to the beat. Sierra giggled to herself as she saw Scarlett and Cameron messing with a solar system model. Phoebe was reading to Zee, Keith and Barry in the library. Valerie was modeling a new outfit, though Sugar knocked her over as she showcased her own attire. However, Carly was visibly more saddened as she looked outside the window. "Lighten up, Carly," Millie encouraged. "Enjoy the place while you have it. And besides, Priya's been avenged! Whoo-hoo! No more Echo!"
Confessional: Carly (Confused Bears)
"I'm glad Echo's gone, but at what cost? She completely tarnished Trent's name, drove Zoey and Lacey apart, eliminated many innocent people...and that's just what we know. Who knows what other things she caused and we haven't realized it? At least there's no more sabotage business...thank goodness."
Confessional: Bryan (Screaming Gophers)
He watched Carly's confessional on the stolen phone. "Hmm... Yes, she has no clue what else Echo did. Personally, she's better off NOT knowing. But my scheming will have to be paused. At least on my own team. I need to make absolutely sure that Carly believes that Echo was the saboteur so she drops the matter altogether. If everything stays relatively clean with the Gophers, she'll buy it. If something happens on the other teams, well, there are plenty of good patsies to choose from. Scott, Courtney, Sugar, Jo, Scarlett... Hopefully not Valerie, though."
End Confessionals
"Hi, Miss Carly," Phoebe greeted as she walked over with some books. "Maybe some reading will help you feel better. I found one on princesses."
"No, thanks," Carly sighed.
"Looks like the whole 'Trent vampire' thing still has everyone bummed," Keith noted as he joined Phoebe's side. "Personally, I don't see all the hoopla over it."
"Hoopla?" Phoebe thought.
"Maybe they're upset because he, like, made a bad call," Zee thought.
"Why are you wearing a mask like those baseball guys, Mister Hezekias?"
"Got me," Keith shrugged. "What about you, Barry?" Barry simply tilted his head in confusion. He then sniffed the air and growled a bit. "What has that thing upset?" Millie asked.
"Barry must've smelled that tamale trickster walking around," Keith reasoned as he held Barry protectively.
"Mmm, tamales," Zee gushed. "Maybe the Frogs can have that to eat. I'll find them. Uh, where are they all again?"
"I think Miss Josephine was doing some kind of training in the cabin," Phoebe recalled.
Confessional: Jo (Frogs of Death)
There was no one in the frame. "Hey, Chris McLame." She walked over with the camera zoomed in on her head. "Guess what? You can make me do these grueling things, but you'll never break me. With those stupid teammates busy in the hotel, I've got the girls' side of the cabin to myself and I can finally work out like the ancient Olympians..." The camera zoomed out to show a towel wrapped around her body. "Naked."
End Confessional
Inside the Frog cabin, a silhouette of Jo working out was seen. "882," she counted, "883...884...885..." Outside, Zee was looking around for Jo when he spotted her in the cabin. His eyes got wide before he passed out. Up on the balcony of the spa hotel, Mike was tossing some rocks down at a straw dummy on the ground below. "Are you okay, amigo?" Alejandro asked as he walked over to him.
"Yeah," Mike shrugged as he tossed another rock. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"You're throwing rocks at a dummy with a very peculiar appearance. I think that's a very good indicator of your tension."
"Why? Cause I'm throwing rocks at Scott? Nah, why would I do that? I'm not angry. I'm not angry that dirty, slimy, trailer-park trash bag kissed Zoey."
"I never said that was the reason."
"Well, I'm NOT angry." Alejandro winced after he saw Mike toss a chair at the dummy, completely destroying it. "Yes, I can tell," the Spaniard blandly agreed. "But being aggressive about it won't gain anything except a ticket on the Boat of Losers. You have to go about it more pragmatically."
"Yeah, smart guy?" Mike whipped back. "Just how would you go about it?"
"Relax, for starters. Scott went after someone you cared, so why not return the favor?"
"Wait, wait, wait. So you're suggesting that I should flirt with someone Scott likes?"
"Precisely. It will give him a taste of his own medicine and distract him from the game, and once the Rats lose, his team will be quick to cut him out."
"Yeah... That might work. But who?" Alejandro glanced over and pointed towards Phoebe, who was currently holding up the rings of Saturn. "You could wear this as a necklace if you wanted, Miss Scarlett," she giggled. "You do love space. Maybe you'll get famous for astronomy studies just like Neil deGrasse Tyson did."
"'The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe it,'" Scarlett quoted. "Yes, my parental figures made me study such astrophysics once I reached the middle school grades."
"Whoa. All when you reached twelve? You're even smarter than I thought, and I thought you were smart to begin with."
"Try telling that to Rufus. Or should I call him...Muttley?" Scarlett burst out in laughter. "Muttley!" she exclaimed between gasps of air.
"Your brother was really mean," Phoebe sighed as she fiddled with some moon models. "Not, like, Max's pretend-evil, either. Why would anybody be like that?"
"Even I'm not entirely sure, Phoebe," Cameron admitted. "And what's worse is that some people can't change from that. But the best thing to do is to try and stand up to those people. That way, they won't hold any power over us, like with Jo."
"Coach did say to watch out for those sneaky people. Okay, Mister Cameron. Yeah! Oh, uh, here's some more Saturn moons. There's even one that shares my name. Incoming into orbit: moon Phoebe of Saturn's orbit. Over, bzzt!" Cameron could only chuckle at the duo.
Confessional: Cameron (Frogs of Death)
"It's great that Scarlett is now enjoying herself around Phoebe. She just has that quality that brings out the positives in almost anyone. Keith, Scarlett, Max... Wish it could work on Jo."
End Confessional
Meanwhile, Paul was pacing inside the dining hall, his mind lost in thought. His memory flashed back to him meeting Trent back in the swamp, with every detail magnified: the glowing red eyes, the scent of blood, the- "Paul!" Dave suddenly cut in.
"Oh, Dave!" Paul gasped. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"
"Have you seen Sky?"
"No, I have not. Why ask?"
"I can't find her. Not in the gym, library, kitchen, which is completely empty, not in-"
"Okay, I get it." Paul noticed a CREAK and glanced out the window, where he saw Sky look outside before running off with a parasol tied behind her back and a small bag. "I just found her, dude," he informed Dave, "Only a lot shiftier now."
"Where?" Dave asked.
"Dashed outside, and with the way she's acting, it's worth looking into."
"Did Shawn tell you to spy on her, too?"
"What? Um, you know what? Fine. But if you're coming, you're sticking close to me." A moment later, Dave was piggybacking Paul as he walked outside. "Not exactly what I had in mind," the mechanic muttered. Over at the dock, Trent was lying face-down as his skin started turning pink with sunburn. He noticed a shadow loomed over the upper half of his body. "Trent?" Sky began as she held a dark-purple parasol to cover themselves.
"Sky?" Trent thought as she sat down next to him and he sat up.
"You do know that can give you some nasty burns or worse, right?"
"If I wanted that, I would've gone up the cliff where it's higher."
"You do know it wasn't your fault, right?"
"It doesn't matter. I jumped at Gwen like a zombie to a brain laboratory."
"Um, that's not exactly how zombies work." Sky pulled out a bottle from her bag. "Rub some sun block on your arms," she advised. "It'll ease the irritation some."
"Thanks," Trent replied after rubbing the lotion on himself. "But what am I supposed to do? Everyone on the team or in the camp in general may be gunning for me. I only got my ass saved last time since Echo was as evil as Carly claimed."
"So she actually was that bad? And I thought the 'J Jerks' were bad. But you shouldn't consider everything lost yet."
"Right, cause Gwen totally isn't avoiding me nor is everyone afraid of me."
"Well, Dawn wasn't afraid, and neither are Carly, Sol or myself. And Phoebe. I think. She's kinda hard to read." Unknown to the duo, Dave was watching them from behind a large boulder. "Why is Sky hanging around a guy like him?" he thought. "The guy has proven to be dangerous."
"And it sounded like she seemed to know about Trent's little 'condition'," Paul added as he stood next to Dave. "Dawn and Sol I buy since they're used to this shit, but Miss Olympian and Morningstar?"
"Wait, how'd you get that?"
"I heard Sky confess it, and I might've gotten more if you'd stayed quiet." Dave and Paul were suddenly nabbed by a metal net, making them cry out in shock. "What was that?" Sky wondered as she looked around. She and Trent were also nabbed by a net and dragged off.
Inside the mess hall, the Rats and Gophers were walking inside the mess hall but were stunned to see the Bears and Frogs inside. "You guys?" Heather scoffed. "Great. Add on to our problems, why don't you?"
"Zip it, Queenie," Bowie told her. "Let's just get this joke we call breakfast over with."
"We can't," Cameron informed him. "Chef is here and neither is breakfast."
"The hotel was empty with food," Millie added. "It's why we came here."
"And Sugar here needs meat!" Sugar demanded. "M...E...uh...E..."
"I'll be happy to get you food, Sugarcube," Austin assured her.
"And I'll simply eat the barf in my mouth," Keith deadpanned.
"We'll just make our own breakfast," Nikki shrugged. "Let's search, guys."
"Nothing in the fridge," Leshawna said.
"Nothing in the cupboards, either," Zoey sighed.
"We should check the walk-in freezer," Chef suggested through a window.
"The freezer!" Sugar realized. "Glad I thought of it." She opened up the freezer. "FOOD!" she squealed with delight as she ran inside
"Oh, that looks so good," Owen gushed as he and Mike looked inside.
"It's MINE!" Sugar declared.
"No way!" Mike protested. "That's mine!" He and Owen rushed inside, and there was a hefty brawl a second later. "We won't have any food at this rate," Lacey complained.
"Just leave it to science," Scarlett assured her as she held up a gas spray. "Stand clear." She sprayed some of the gas, hitting Sugar, Mike and Owen. The trio started to doze off before passing out. "Quick, before those carnivores wake up again," Duncan advised. Everyone ran into the freezer, save for one. "Wait," Phoebe thought. "Isn't this the part in the bad guy's plan where he baits the hero only to trap them?"
"You're quite an astute one," Karol remarked as she walked over. "Unfortunately, it's not needed now." She kicked Phoebe into the freezer, then pulled down the door. The freezer turned out to be a freezer truck, which drove off. "Challenge time, suckers!" Chef cackled as he peeked through the window to the teens.
"I knew it!" Phoebe exclaimed.
"Yeah, Breebee," Mike slurred as he returned to his feet, "You're a really smart cookie, heh-heh."
"Looks like the gaseous form isn't as potent," Scarlett quietly noted.
"This is highly unorthodox!" Cameron cried out as he hung onto a ham.
"Where are you taking us?" Helen asked.
"You'll see," Chef slyly replied. He laughed until the window closed on his thumb, smooshing it. Later, he dumped the campers in front of a mine entrance. "So you guys got grabbed, too, huh?" Sky thought as she, Trent, Dave and Paul were still tangled up in the nets.
"Hang on," Carly assured them as she approached them. She yanked the nets off, freeing the group. "Thanks," Trent moaned.
"Good," Chris began as he appeared on a television screen, "You're here. Finally. Today's challenge is to find a golden Chris statue in your team color hidden somewhere in this old abandoned mine. First team back wins."
"Sounds similar to that underwater task," Helen thought. "We'll get this one, too."
"With Vampy Breath there?" Jo taunted. "You might as well-" She was silenced by a heavy bag getting tossed onto her. "Don't worry," Chris told them as Chef tossed the bags. "There are enough packs for everyone." Cameron, Scott, Sam and even Sky was having a hard time carrying them. "What did you put in them, rocks?" Helga asked as she tried to open hers.
"Uh-buh-buh-buh," Chris warned them. "No peeking. Those fifty-pound bags are purely for your torment and my amusement. Enjoy."
"Chemical badges?" Harold thought as he pulled one out of his bag. "Why do we need to measure our exposure to radioactivity?"
"No reason, except that I rented the mine out to store all our hazardous material." Everyone gasped at this revelation. "Whoa, whoa, whoa," Keith thought. "Are you demented?"
"No," Chris happily replied, "Which is why I'm in a studio right now." A few complaints were risen. "Relax," Chris told them. "It's perfectly safe...for thirty minutes. When your badge turns orange, you have fifteen minutes left. Red is your five minute warning, and if you see a skull and crossbones, we'll dedicate this episode to you. But no way is it gonna come to that. I sent Dean down there for forty minutes and he's gonna be fine...ish."
"You did WHAT?!" Carly screamed out in anger. "You just did that because he helped take down your precious Echo, didn't you?!"
"Easy," Trent advised as he held her back. "It's probably nothing major...I hope." Inside the medical tent, Dean was lying on a stretcher. "Huh?" he moaned as he woke up. "Where am I?"
"Infirmary tent," Stan informed him, "And I hate to say this, but..." He held up a mirror, showing that Dean was now bald. "AHHH!" Dean cried out. "MY HAIR! NO!"
"And I heard from Karol that everyone's going in the mine," Stan continued, "Like, all the teens..."
"That toxic dump?! THAT'S THE LAST STRAW! CHRIS IS A DEAD MAN!"
"Now move it, peeps," Chris told the campers.
"Can you at least give us a hint on where to find the statues?" Bryan asked. "I'd rather not have us linger long in such a place."
"Funny story: the statues seem to have gone missing. Someone or something down there must've taken them."
"Is it well-lit down there?" Shawn asked as he twirled around a string of garlic. "I don't want an ambush of zombies or blood-sucking beasts getting to us."
"Can I see that for a second?" Sky politely asked. Shawn passed the garlic to her, and the others winced as they heard a WHACK! and saw the garlic wrapped around the dazed Shawn's head. "He did raise a good question, though," Trent told Sky. "Any light, Chris?"
"It's a mine, bro," Chris replied. "Pitch-black all the way. There are flashlights and fireflies inside. First come, first serve. Anywho, times a'wasting and so are your healthy blood cells, so go!" The Gophers were the first to enter the mine. "First place!" Helen cheered. "WHOO-HOO!" The area rumbled before rocks fell on top of the Gophers. "See you at the elimination ceremony," Jo taunted as the others ran past, "Again!"
"But we should-" Phoebe spoke up.
"Don't even," Valerie told her. "We're on a time limit here and we have enough issues with Outback there." Helga was pulling Jasmine by the feet. Phoebe was about to speak again when Valerie yanked her away. Helen coughed as she and the other Gophers emerged from the rocks. "Will you ever learn to use your indoor voice?" Lacey asked her. The other teams hopped into a mine shaft. "We got the flashlights! Cameron cheered.
"Better move quickly," Scarlett advised. "Our combined weight won't hold us for-" The shaft rumbled and creaked before it fell deep, deep into the ground below, with all the teens aboard screaming. "Is everyone okay?" Zoey asked in the bleak darkness.
"I-I think so," DJ stammered.
"The flashlights!" Cameron realized. Nikki switched one on, revealing their predicament. "I see tunnels," Sam noted. "Should we take them?" The group heard some loud squeals echoing off the rocks. "Piggies!" Phoebe squealed.
"Yeah, what fun," Mike giggled as he pulled Phoebe close. "It'll solve our breakfast dilemma, huh?"
"I'm not so sure those are pigs," Scott reasoned. "I know a pig squeal when I hear it and that ain't it." The group winced as they heard some feedback. "Testing," a voice called out from a loudspeaker. "Testing. Fully functional? Good. So you mortals decided to journey into my evil lair uninvited, hmm? Well, that will be a grave mistake!"
"You told us to come in here for the challenge, McLean," Keith pointed out. "And quit that corny voice routine."
"I am not this McLame you speak of. I am this mine's evil overlord, and what good overlord would I be without a great army as protection? HAHAHAHAHA!" The squeals started getting closer. "We'd better move," Millie stammered. "Come on!" The Rats ran down one tunnel while the Bears and Frogs went inside another. "That elevator won't come back up," Lacey told the Gophers. "Only thing to do is shimmy down like they're ropes."
"Gothballs first," Heather insisted as she pushed Gwen forward.
"What?" Gwen gasped with panic. "No, no, no! I can't get inside that dark, tight, confined-"
"I'm sure it'll be okay," Trent assured her.
"Don't talk to me!"
"Okay, okay, I won't."
"Ooh, ooh!" Helen exclaimed. "Maybe Trent can use his vampy powers to fly us all down!"
"Yeah," Owen agreed. "Just WHOOSH down and-" He tripped over a rock, sending him tumbling down the mine shaft. "OWEN!" Helen cried out. "I'M COMING!" She leaped down after him. "Helen, wait!" Trent warned her as he jumped in after her.
"Looks like Trent's trying to be a hero," Lacey told the others. "Rest of you, start shimmying down." Lindsay, Gwen, Heather, Leshawna and Bryan screamed as they slid down. Lacey scooped up some jars of fireflies before sliding down after them. She soon reached the bottom where most of the girls were lying in a heap. "Hey, where's old Chubby Buddy?" Lacey asked.
"Up here," Trent groaned. Lacey looked up to see Trent flying mid-air as he struggled to carry Helen and Owen. He soon lost his strength, making the trio crash into the ground. "Lacey?" Trent moaned. "I think I'm gonna leave the strength to you from now on."
"Good call," Lacey replied. "And I see why you were hesitant about the flying. Takes a bit out when you're carrying passengers, huh?"
"I'm not that heavy," Helen defended.
"Not talking to you. And you guys forgot our light." Lacey held up the firefly jars. Helen grabbed one...then decided to put the firefly jar on her head like a hat. "What are you doing?" Gwen questioned.
"So we don't lose the light," Helen replied. "With who knows what in here, we can't chance losing it."
"That is bonkers," Lacey thought, "But maybe the right kind of bonkers for now. Gwen and Bryan, hold still." She put the other jars on their heads. "It feels embarrassing," Bryan muttered.
"Chris does it worse than me," Lacey told him. "Just suck it up for the next twenty minutes and you'll be fine. Now, down the tunnel we go. Leshawna, you're in charge of Gwen. Everyone else, stay close."
"Just don't try to bite me," Heather sternly told Trent. "My blood is as precious as gold."
"And as putrid as Owen's farts." The Gophers headed down a tunnel, though Trent had a conflicted look before going down another tunnel. Back down the tunnels, the Bears and Frogs were slowly trudging ahead. "Will you snails hurry it up?" Jo demanded. "I've got a challenge to win!"
"We must proceed with caution," Alejandro whispered. "Until we know what our enemy is, our best action is to be subtle."
"And your sugary queen is as subtle as an earthquake," Nikki noted.
"Don't talk to them," Jasmine scolded as she pulled the rapper back. "They. Are. The. Enemy."
"Oh, for crying out loud," Keith complained. "You're still on with that shit?"
"Coach, language," Phoebe told him.
"Claustrophobic makes a valid point for once," Valerie acknowledged. "You're not following us to our victory."
"Bold to assume you can ordinate yourself here, Miss Fashion Disaster," Paul teased.
"Are you suggesting I'm dumb?!"
"I don't have to suggest what's already a fact."
"But intelligence has always followed Valerie," Greg informed him. "She's just been faster."
"Father always says I was quick on my feet," Valerie giggled.
"So you never got caught by smartness?" Sugar thought.
"Even Sugar picked it up faster," Greg muttered to Paul, making the mechanic laugh. Valerie turned red with embarrassment before getting a scowl. "Why you little-" she angrily began.
"Wait," Carly cut off. "Did you hear something?"
"Hear what?" Millie asked in confusion. A slight HISS! echoed through the tunnel and everyone turned to see the snake-mantis hybrid behind them. "Oh," Dave gulped with worry. "I forgot that thing existed."
"Don't move," Scarlett advised. "If it's like an actual snake, it won't react if we stay still." Suddenly, some hands grabbed Carly and Tyler, yanking them underground. "CARLY!" Sky and Millie cried out.
"And Tyler," Alejandro reminded them. Another hand tried to grab him but he moved out of the way. "Screw the statues!" Nikki shouted. "Everyone, split!" The Bears and Frogs fanned out like wind to a leaf pile. Keith yanked Phoebe away as more hands popped up. "I think we lost those things for now," he breathed out. "Whatever 'army' that wacko has seemed more than just a bluff." He overheard some giggling. "This is no time for laughing, squirt. We've got to get out of here!" Keith noticed Phoebe frozen in place. "Phoebe?" He heard the giggling again and turned to see a girl with ginger ponytails and a dress like Alice from Alice in Wonderland staring at the duo as she held up a spotted ball. "Come on," the girl giggled. "Let's play!" The girl gasped with joy. "Phoebe!" she squealed as she hugged her. "Oh, it's been FOREVER! Like, eight years forever! Come on! I found me this new friend to play with, too. You'll like Mister Ricky." She skipped off as she bounced her ball. "Phoebe," Keith finally choked out, "Was that...?" Phoebe just passed out from shock. "I'd better stick by you," Keith decided as he carried Phoebe over her shoulder. "It's gonna be a rough ride."
"Okay, I see two tunnels," Lacey noted as she and the Gophers walked ahead. "A carved-out tunnel on the right, mining car tracks on the left. Best option should be left."
"I think we should go right," Lindsay thought.
"Why?" Helen asked.
"Cause it's the right tunnel. It's in the name." The others stared at Lindsay for a second. "Girl," Leshawna spoke up, "We love you, but you're a sandwich short of a picnic sometimes."
"The left option looks the safest," Bryan reasoned, "So we should-" He stopped as he heard the ground cave in before Lacey fell down a small hole. "LACEY!" Helen cried out.
"GREAT FLAMING FRITTATAS!" Owen panicked. "Lacey's GONE!" He screamed as two hands grabbed his feet and started tugging him below. "OWEN!" Helen gasped as she, Leshawna and Lindsay tried to pull him back. However, the trio were yanked down with Owen. "Guys?" Bryan gulped. He let out a yell as he was yanked away. "Ow, ow, ow!"
"Shut up, Shakespeare," Valerie quietly scolded as she pulled him out of sight. "We need to talk."
"Talk? About...?"
"You know damn well what! The last vote. I know you orchestrated Echo's elimination."
"And?"
"Why the hell would you do that?! She could've been a great asset to us."
"I doubt that highly. There was valid reason she was recruited to that Villain Alliance, remember?"
"But she was still the weakest member and an easy vote, and you tossed it away!"
"Weakest? Ha! She's the most ruthless human being on this island and she even managed to surpass Chris in cruelty."
"How so?"
"She tried harming us without us even realizing. You know those wounds Gwen sustained on her leg and arm? Those weren't from Trent; Echo was firing arrows at Gwen, not caring if one struck her fatally! And why would she do this? To make Trent attack Gwen after Echo stole the one thing keeping him stable. And it's not just physical harm. Without my intervention, she would've gaslighted everyone into thinking she was as pure as Mother Teresa while she kept up her psychotic tendencies! I know we're villains and all, but resorting to such measures in a reality show is way too far!"
"R-really? Whoa. I would've never... But wait, how do you even know-?"
"She grew up close to where I lived and we even attended the same school, so we both had plenty of dirt on each other. I should thank my lucky stars she didn't say too much as she left." Bryan and Valerie got a frightened look as some hands grabbed their feet. "Our luck is running low now," Bryan muttered. He and Valerie were quickly pulled underground.
Back deep in the mine, DJ noticed a pair of mining carts. "Perfect," he noted to the other Rats. "Maybe these will help speed things up."
"No way, Rats," Jasmine demanded as she, Zoey, Cameron, Sol, Mike, Scarlett and Sierra ran over to them. "That cart is ours!"
"But we were here first," Harold protested.
"Mining carts?" Millie thought as she, Sugar, Greg, Shawn and Alejandro joined the group. "A bit cliche, but if it gets us out faster..."
"We can't take them," Bowie argued. "It looks much too dangerous."
"You're just saying that so we'll lose!" Courtney scolded.
"What? No. Dawn can- Huh? Where did she go?"
"She could at least warn us next time she decides to disappear," Scott grumbled as the Rats noticed Dawn's absence.
"You girls finished yapping?" Duncan asked with annoyance.
"Excuse me?" Sugar scoffed. Her badge then changed color. "Sugar's badge is orange!" Sierra gasped.
"What?!" Sugar cried out. "I only got fifteen seconds to live!"
"It's fifteen minutes," Scarlett clarified.
"Oh, much better." Sugar casually started filing her nails. "Seriously?" Scarlett groaned. Her, Sierra and Cameron's badges turned orange next. "Shotgun!" Sierra called out as she tossed Scarlett and Cameron into the first mining car. Mike, Jasmine, Sol and Jo also hopped into the first mining car. "Guess we'll keep the others safe in the back," DJ reasoned.
"I don't need your help!" Sugar barked out as everyone else joined the second mining car. However, she was swiftly yanked in by Austin, who gave her a warm smile. Sierra pulled the rock out holding the carts back. "My first time riding the rails!" Cameron exclaimed. Scarlett pulled the lever to start the carts up, and the group was off rolling. "I don't like it!" Cameron cried out.
"It's so dark in here," Phoebe whimpered as her green eyes blinked in the darkness.
"Oh, good," Keith reached out as he opened his dark eyes. "You're awake again. How you holding up?"
"I-I-I-I don't know. Sh-sh-she can't be-"
"Calm down. It'll be okay. I bet you'll feel better with some light. Help me find a flashlight. Ow! Don't poke me like that!"
"Sorry," Kimmy whimpered as her blank-white eyes shined in the darkness. "But I wanna play. Can't you play with me?"
"Who goes there?" a voice demanded as three more pairs of eyes came over.
"One coach," Keith lamented, "One hero...and one, um, spirit."
"I thought Sol confiscated that gunk," Nikki's voice thought out-loud.
"Miss Nicole?" Phoebe timidly asked.
"Yep. Me, Zee and Helga. Um, who's your friend, Phoebe?"
"I-I-I-I-"
"Phoebe, calm down," Keith ordered. "Take a deep breath."
"I can't. It's too smelly."
"It does smell a bit," Nikki noted, "Kinda like a compost pile. Anyone got a flashlight?"
"Found one," Zee answered.
"Well, turn it on!" Helga demanded. Zee switched on the flashlight, illuminating the tunnel. "Uh, guys?" he gulped. "Better look behind you." The group turned to see a huge mutated gopher, which let out a threatening squeal. Everyone but Kimmy simply screamed with fright.
"Guys?" Paul called out as he walked down a tunnel. "Hello? Anybody?" He took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Rosemary? Dawn, are you behind me?"
"Looks like your senses are getting better tuned with each passing day," Dawn noted as she walked towards him. "And hopefully I didn't accidentally catch you off-guard this time."
"Skip the formalities, Dawn. I've been with Melody long enough to know when you approach someone, it's often to talk about some issue or elephant no one else bothers to touch."
"Well, since you brought it up, I wanted to know your thoughts on the whole Trent case."
"What's to talk about? The guy's a complete monster."
"Are you not technically one, too?"
"At least I never willfully attacked people like he did to you!"
"You misunderstand the situation. I was not attacked. I allowed him to take my blood."
"What?! Why would you do something so...boneheaded?!"
"Paul, for someone like Trent, he cannot go without blood for too long. After Echo deprived him of that access was when things got bad. I offered to lend myself until he could regain that access again and so that incident with Gwen didn't happen again...even if he was very adamant about not doing just that. Oh, and before you ask, I won't become like him." Dawn pulled out her necklace around her neck. "What is that?" Paul thought. "Is that...ugh, garlic water?"
"In a sense," Dawn explained. "People are only half-right with the garlic-vampire thing. While garlic cannot drive a vampire back, if you wear a necklace infused with garlic water, it drives away the substance that causes that change into one. My mom discovered it a couple of years back, but I can never remember if it was twelve or twenty-fours hours you wear it to drive it away completely."
"Uh, stick with twenty-four to be on the safe side."
"Still, I recommend speaking with Trent. You two might have more in common than you realize."
"Are you serious? Talk with-" Paul was suddenly pushed ahead by Dawn. Inside the tunnel, Trent was simply sitting on a flat rock. He thought about the events that transpired yesterday and started to shed a tear. He then noticed Paul falling at his feet. "Paul?" Trent thought as he dried his eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Me?" Paul argued as he returned to his feet. "Dawn was-" However, he noticed that she had vanished. "Damn, I wish she wouldn't do that!"
"What are you even doing here?" Trent scoffed.
"I should be asking you the same thing! Something's dragging the others underground and we have a literal timer on our shoulders!"
"Well, maybe I just want to be here. Maybe the time expiring will be better."
"The hell you talking about?"
"I mean that I hate everything that I am!" Trent lashed back, his fangs now exposed. "I hate that I became this! I hate it! I hate that I have to be constantly drinking that thing to not lose control! I hate that I have to constantly hydrate and grease my skin to make sure I don't become a charred beef stick! I hate that I almost hurt the person I love because I lowered my guard!" Paul's expression of anger softened to empathy as Trent's words really sank in. "I understand where you're coming from, dude," he told the musician.
"How could you?" Trent argued. "It's not like you can relate. You're just-"
"You were human once, too, weren't you?" Trent was taken off-guard by Paul's question. He turned and noticed the mechanic simply looking back with his bright eyes. "What are you-?" Trent began to ask. He was cut off with a sudden rumble. "What was that?!"
"On guard," Paul warned as he readied himself to attack. Two of the mutant gophers popped up from underground and squealed at them. "They look pretty big," Trent gulped.
"And they'll fall harder," Paul declared. One of the gophers charged at the duo, but Paul swiftly knocked it back. He slashed at the other gopher as it tried to attack Trent. The first gopher got up again and bit at Paul's leg, but he slashed at it again, making it squeal as it ran off while clutching its bleeding nose. He then incapacitated the other Gophers with a jab to the stomach. "Whoa," Trent breathed out. "Dude, you're just so...tough."
"Maybe a bit too much for my own good," Paul admitted. He noticed a CLINK-CLINK noise, then the tunnel filling with a light-blue gas. "Ugh! What is that? It's...so..." He ended up passing out. "Paul?" Trent gasped. He was knocked unconscious by the snake-mantis and it dragged the duo off.
"At least this part is well-lit," Heather muttered as she walked down a different tunnel. She noticed Gwen still whimpering with fear as she laid on the ground. "Listen, Gothball," Heather sternly told her. "I don't like this any more than you do, but the sooner we get this challenge done, the sooner you're out of this hazardous pit of Chris's, so get your ass in gear already!" She got a fearful look as her and Gwen's badges turned orange. "AH!" Gwen cried out as she returned to her feet. "Only fifteen minutes to live! No! It-it can't end like this! I can't die here! I never went to college to study in art or saw all the famous constellations yet!"
"And I haven't kissed a guy," Heather admitted with a tinge of regret. Gwen was taken aback by this comment. "Seriously?" she teased. "Why am I not surprised no one dared to touch your lips?"
"Just get moving!" Heather ordered as she yanked on Gwen's arm and dragged her away.
"We're making progress, guys," DJ noted as the group rolled down the tracks. "If we stick together, we'll get through this."
"Is that so?" the voice from earlier questioned. "We'll just see about that."
"Oh, yeah?" Duncan challenged. "What's some dorky voice gonna do?"
"What's happening to the tracks?!" Sierra cried out as two dark strands tugged on the tracks. They glowed for a second before the tracks split in two. "No!" DJ gasped as the carts went in different directions. The cart with Jasmine, Cameron, Jo, Scarlett, Sol, Mike and Sierra went downward before crashing. "The track!" Zoey panicked as the other cart went sailing towards a broken track. "I'm too young to die!"
"And I'm too hot!" Sugar yelled out. The cart went sailing off, plunging the group of Rats, Bears and Frogs into a deep pit. "Looks like our players are doomed," Chris narrated as he and Chef stood in a studio room as they watched the campers on numerous monitors. "Will any of them survive? I have my doubts." He laughed. "But find out for sure when we return with more Total...Drama...Island!"
(cue commercial)
Down inside a large lake, the group from the first cart started to surface. Zoey coughed while Scott gasped for air. "Is that everyone from the cart?" Shawn asked.
"Everyone but Sugar," DJ replied. He was suddenly lifted up as Sugar surfaced, with him sitting on her hair. "I ain't a lifeboat!" she scolded. She dunked DJ and tried going after him. "I'm sure it was an accident that DJ landed on you," Millie defended as she, Shawn and Duncan held Sugar back.
"Definitely an accident," Greg noted, unaware of a pair of blank eyes staring at him.
"I knew taking the mine carts was a bad idea," Bowie groaned. "Way to go, Millie."
"You can't put this on her!" Sam defended. "She didn't know the tracks would split by magic."
"And she didn't try to drown me!" Sugar snapped. She and Greg were suddenly dragged underwater. "Sugarcube!" Austin gasped. "She's gone!"
"Greg!" Zoey cried out. "We gotta save him!"
"Sugar takes priority, Two-Timer! Move it!" Austin started using his hat to dig through the water. "He knows that effort will be fruitless, right?" Alejandro asked.
"So what do we do?" Sam asked.
"Get out of here before something drags us underwater," Scott decided before he started to swim off.
"Just leave everyone behind like always," Geoff scoffed.
"We won't be any help if we get captured, too," Bowie pointed out. "At least get out of the water before we start a rescue mission." Inside another tunnel, Sky was rushing ahead. "Frogs?" she called out. "Where are you guys? Hello?" She ended up crashing into Dave. "Watch where you're going!" Dave scolded. "Oh, Sky! I'm sorry."
"Dave?" Sky thought.
"What are you doing here? Your team went in the complete opposite direction than the rest."
"I was trying to find them. I heard some screaming and I've been trying to follow them. Hope they're okay. Last thing Trent needs right now is for his team to be dragged who knows where."
"Trent? You mean the same...something that lunged at Gwen like a rabid wolf to a deer? Yeah, super worried about finding him."
"This is no time to be all grunty," Sky sternly told Dave as her frustration was starting to rise.
"Yeah, right. We have a literal clock on our health and safety, along with some heavy bags that Chris probably filled with something hazardous, in the darkness of this toxic-filled wasteland cave, and you want to go searching for the most dangerous guy on the island not named Chris!"
"Well, he's alone-"
"As he should! He's a danger to everyone here!"
"Don't talk like you know him!"
"Why are you even debating it?! He literally lunged at Gwen. Why are you defending this literal blood-sucking monster?!"
"BECAUSE I'M LIKE HIM!" Sky snapped as she turned around, her wings spreading from her back and her eyes glowing red. Dave fell backwards in both shock and fear. He could only babble as Sky tried to take a breath to calm down. "This is what I am..." she confessed with a mix of anger and sadness. "Am I a monster to you? ANSWER!"
"Sk-Sky, I-" Dave stammered. Something then grabbed his legs. "HELP!" But Sky wasn't able to react in time as the germaphobe got dragged underground. She took a step when she felt something on her foot. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" she screamed as she stomped on the pink hand, which retreated underground. Sky looked back at the hole and was tempted to go after Dave, but then she saw herself reflected in a puddle of water. She ran off, tears streaking down her face.
Meanwhile, the group of Frogs were recovering from their crash. Cameron and Jo were the first to awaken. "Oh..." the bubble boy moaned. He gasped as he saw his teammates unconscious. "Scarlett! Sierra! Mike! Jasmine! Sol! Wake up, guys! Oh, I've read about situations like this, but it's so different in real life."
"You're overreacting," Jo scoffed as she snatched the flashlight from Cameron. "I'll get them up. Watch." She whacked the unconscious Frogs with the flashlight. "Move it or lose it, lazy bones!"
"Ow!" Sierra cried out in pain as the others awakened. "What was that for?!"
"Cameron?" Scarlett groaned as she rubbed her head.
"You're okay!" Cameron cheered as he gave her a hug.
"Save the hugs for later," Jo told them. "We've got to find the others."
"I didn't know you cared," Sol blandly said.
"Not particularly. I just don't want us getting penalized again for leaving guys behind. We nearly lost because of it."
"Uh, Jo?" Mike gulped. "Why are you suddenly taller?" Jo looked down and got a frightened look as she realized she was standing on a mutant gopher's head. The gopher roared before the group ran off.
"Keep running!" Helga shouted as she, Nikki, Zee, Keith and Phoebe fled from the mutant gopher chasing them.
"Can't you just punch it away?" Nikki asked.
"Not if you want another cave-in," Keith pointed out. The group collided with a large rock and fell in a heap. "please don't hurt us," Phoebe whimpered as she covered herself with a camo sheet. The mutant gopher sniffed at the group and whimpered as it suddenly backed away. "Huh?" Phoebe thought as everyone returned to their feet. "What's wrong? Is it Brick's sheet? But nothing's wrong with it."
"Nothing wrong?" Nikki gagged as she, Helga, Zee and Keith plugged their noses. "That sheet of your reeks!"
"And if gopher doesn't like stinky smell..." Helga thought. "We have gopher repellent! Lead the way, Hero Girl!" The gopher ran off as Phoebe and the others kept moving forward. "Wait!" Phoebe called out. "We didn't mean to scare you!" She gasped when she saw Kimmy standing in front of them, making her skid to a stop and the others crash into her. "Why did we stop?" Helga groaned. "Oh, it's Blank Eyes again. Are you lost?"
"Uh-uh," Kimmy replied. "I just want to play. You got to play with the gopher in some tag. Can I join? Can I? Can I?"
"We don't have time for games," Nikki scolded. "Our lives are on the line here! In case you haven't realized, we are in a radioactive mine!"
"We are? I don't see any radios here."
"Y-y-you can't be here," Phoebe stammered out.
"Uh, why not?" Zee asked.
"But I just wanna play," Kimmy whimpered out. "Cousin..."
"You can't be here!" Phoebe snapped as she slapped Kimmy's hand away. "You're DEAD! I KILLED YOU!"
"What?" Keith gasped. "Phoebe, you couldn't have done that."
"Dead?" Nikki squeaked out. "You mean-?"
"It's all my fault she's dead," Phoebe sniffled. "I threw that ball out in the road. If I hadn't..."
"But I was the one who ran out to get it," Kimmy told her as she drifted closer to the heroine. "And that guy driving the car shouldn't have gotten a license. But it's not your fault, Phoebe. Don't keep blaming yourself over that." She gave Phoebe a hug as the duo sank down. Phoebe couldn't hold back her emotion and started bawling. "Should we-?" Nikki quietly asked Helga and Zee.
"Don't even," Keith threatened as he held up a fist. "But, uh, Kimmy, could you maybe check to see if everyone is okay?"
"They should be playing with Ricky and the gophers," Kimmy replied. "Oh, I can see if they'll play! I'll see you in a bit, Phoebe." She flew off down the tunnel. Keith knelt down to Phoebe and picked her up. "Let's just keep moving for now," he assured her as he carried her over his shoulders. "And keep a good hold on that sheet." He started marching off. "Guess we should follow them, huh?" Helga breathed out. "I did not think ghosts would be like that."
"We're better off keeping that to ourselves," Nikki reasoned. "The guys were spooked enough with Trent, remember?" Meanwhile, Sugar and Greg were lying inside a large room. "Where are we?" Greg groaned. The duo looked up to see an army of mutated gophers and a shadowy figure sitting on a stone throne. Some gophers started to surround Sugar and Greg. "STAY BACK!" Sugar yelled. "You ruin my looks and I'll clobber you into mush!"
"Stand down, minions," the shadowy figure ordered. "We don't want a repeat of last time." The gophers backed away from Sugar and Greg. The figure stepped down and revealed himself. There stood a young boy with a black button-up coat over a gray shirt and black pants, along with a long, dark-purple scarf flowing around his neck and messy dark-purple hair that nearly covered an eye. "So you've decided to ignore my warnings and still trespass into my domain?" the boy questioned. "Do you realize the immense danger and fear and might my army and I possess? Perhaps we shall-"
"Ricky!" Kimmy exclaimed as she skipped into the room. "Oh, more people to play with! Yay!"
"Don't interrupt while I'm giving a monologue! It's rude. Now go make sure all my minions are in prime health. I heard one got his nose busted up in a fight with those nasty intruders."
"Since you won't like intruders," Greg reasoned, "We'll just-" He was stopped short by three gophers. "I have ways to deal with intruders," Ricky told him as he pulled a lever. "BEHOLD! My Supreme Pit of Stink-ocity and Ultimate DOOM!"
"Is that fresh air?" Carly asked as she glanced out of the pit. "Oh, thank God! Greg, help!" Ricky pulled the lever again, closing the pit. "Oh, big whoop," Sugar scoffed. "We call that perfume back home. And if you think of beating me, then you're dead wrong!" She lunged at Ricky but went completely through him. "Attack, attack, attack," Ricky lamented. "Honestly, you types are so predictable. But perhaps you can be of use. What good is a villain without some henchmen as my brawn? I'll spare you from the Supreme Pit of Stink-ocity and Ultimate DOOM shall you submit to me."
"Fine with me," Sugar shrugged. "Never really cared about those shrimps anyway. Too weak."
"Totally," Greg agreed. "I can more than help you, Your Evilness." The duo walked towards Ricky, though Greg was more nervous. Back in the tunnel, Heather was running ahead as she dragged Gwen behind her. They ended up colliding with Sky, Keith, Phoebe, Nikki, Zee and Helga. "Man, that hurts," Zee groaned.
"You Frogs?" Heather thought. "Not exactly who I was looking for."
"Sorry to rain on your parade," Nikki scoffed. She noticed Sky wiping her reddened eyes. "You've been crying, Sky?"
"N-no," Sky fibbed. "Just got dust in my eye."
"Lamest excuse from you yet," Keith told her.
"W-well, I'm doing better than you in the challenge."
"Really? You got a gopher repellent, too?"
"A what?" Heather asked.
"Coach means Brick's sheet," Phoebe explained as she held it up. "I don't know why they don't like it." Heather, Sky and Gwen gagged at the smell radiating from it. "I can't imagine why," Gwen sarcastically and nasally remarked.
"Oh, yeah!" Zee cheered. "We're, like, invincible!" The group was suddenly grabbed by some pink hands. "Unless they do that," Zee noted. They were all yanked underground.
Inside the throne room, Sugar was sitting on a pile of bones. "Keep working!" she ordered to the gophers. "I want that statue of me done NOW!" One of the gophers winced in pain after it stubbed its fingers. "Get the first aid kit, henchman," Ricky ordered.
"Uh, why?" Greg questioned as he fanned some of the gophers lying on the ground.
"It's Minions 101. You treat them with some care and respect. That way, they'll never turn on you. Every evil genius knows that!"
"Oh, of course, Your Wickedness. Coming right up." Greg walked over and picked up a first-aid kit. "Don't worry," Kimmy assured him as she leaned over the stone throne. "It's just a game Ricky's playing."
"Yes, I know," Greg assured her. "But I'm also due to check on a friend and I don't wish to be late. If only I had a watch."
"Oh, I got one." Kimmy passed a busted-up digital watch to Greg. "It's a bit broken, though," she admitted.
"I'll fix it," Greg assured her. He noticed something gleaming in the corner and smirked, but his attention was taken away as the snake-mantis carried Trent and Paul into the room. "So here's the two troublemakers," Ricky cackled as he faced the duo. "Finally caught. Take a break, my legged reptilian." Two of the gophers grabbed the boys as the snake-mantis walked off. "So you've been causing all this trouble?" Paul scolded. He tried to go after him but found himself too weak to move. "Are you okay?" Trent asked.
"Looks like I predicted your moves well," Ricky told him. "I knew you'd go for an attack, so I made sure you were unable to fight back. That gas that knocked your friend out was laced with a muscle relaxant, and it won't be long before every limb becomes numb."
"Gotta admit that it's clever," Greg acknowledged. "Uh, why not send those two into the pit, Your Awfulness?"
"You're seriously helping him?" Trent asked in bewilderment.
"Considering it playing devil's advocate. I might get something out of it, too."
"I'd best keep them where I can see them," Ricky decided. "Don't want them trying any tricks."
"Boo!" Sugar protested. "Give them worse! And where's my statue?!" Back in the tunnel, Sierra was carrying Cameron and Scarlett on her back while Jo and Mike dragged Jasmine by her feet. "Let go of me!" Jasmine protested.
"Do you want to die in here, Outback?" Jo countered.
"First signs of chemical exposure are fever and nausea," Cameron moaned.
"I am feeling a little queasy," Sol admitted.
"Can't...even...think straight," Scarlett groaned as she rubbed her temples.
"Don't worry, buddy," Sierra assured her and Cameron. "I'll get us out of here."
"Buddy?" Cameron thought. "Really? Cool!" Their badges beeped and turned red. "Oh, no!" Cameron gasped. "Our first buddy and we've only got five minutes to live!"
"Guys!" Zoey exclaimed as she tackled the trio in a tight hug. "Thank goodness you're okay!"
"But we've lost Sugar and Greg," DJ told them as the others joined their side.
"That a bad thing?" Mike thought.
"She's still a person," Alejandro defended.
"Let's dump these packs first," Millie decided. "They're slowing us down."
"Those packs of pain stay on until I tell you otherwise," Chris instructed through an intercom, "Or your whole team is disqualified. Disqualified!"
"I knew Chris was watching over us!" Zoey exclaimed. "He won't let us die down here!"
"Uh, don't count on it. I'm more of a watcher than a saver."
"Nice," Jo scoffed. "Real nice."
"So how do we win and escape in under five minutes?" Scarlett asked.
"Got an idea," Sol thought. "Anybody got something of Sugar's? Austin..." Austin blinked before reluctantly handing over a lock of blonde hair. "Is that her hair?" Shawn thought. "How'd you manage that?"
"She gave it to me after she was finished shaving," Austin replied.
"EW!" Millie gagged as she and the others recoiled in disgust. "Armpit hair!"
"Hair's hair no matter where you find it. And I better get this back in one piece, Solstice."
"Just hold still," Sol told him. He murmured some words as he waved his hand over the hair, and a pink line started to trail off. "That searching spell should lead us to her," he informed the group. "We find her, I bet we'll find the others." The group followed the pink line and soon reached the throne room. They were stunned to see the room full of mutated gophers and a large statue of Sugar standing triumphantly while wearing a large crown and trampling under Ella. "Great," Millie thought. "She went mad with power."
"Ain't it a beauty?" Austin gushed. "That statue captured everything, from the eyes to the smile to the badonkadonk."
"And people call me deluded," Scott muttered.
"Uh, Sugar?" Sky thought as she, Keith, Phoebe, Nikki, Helga, Heather, Zee and Gwen were held by some gophers. "Any chance you can get these guys to let us go?"
"That's QUEEN Sugar!" Sugar snapped as she sat on the bone pile. "And why the hell would I do that? This is MY power now! Nothing can get me away from it!"
"A diamond!" Greg gasped as he carried a large gem over. "Wow, what luck!" The gem was snatched out of his hands. "It's MINE!" Sugar declared. "Just look at this thing! I'm RICH! I could use the money to go to college and study veterinary medicine and a minor in cosmetology so I can put make-up on famous animals!"
"Between her and the gophers," Bowie thought, "We'll never find those statues now."
"Keep it down," Harold warned the group. "Those gophers may be blind, but they can still smell us."
"That's not your only concern," Ricky chuckled as he spotted them. "Break's over. Capture them!" The snake-mantis hissed as it crawled over to the group. "There goes our hope for a rescue," Keith groaned.
"Because I think ahead, weakling!" Ricky boasted. "Trapping the intruders, gathering an army of minions, making sure any counter-measures against them are squashed..."
"Explains the clothes pins on their noses," Nikki thought as she glanced over at the gopher holding her.
"Point is, nothing gets by me, the most EVIL villain in North America! HAHAHAHAHA!" Ricky then realized something. "Hey! Where did that intruder go? You were supposed to hold him, minion!" The mutant gopher looked confused, then the gopher holding Paul squealed in pain as it clutched its foot, dropping the mechanic. "Eek!" Phoebe cried out as she saw something slithering towards Paul. "It's a snake!"
"It's that kid!" Ricky cried out. "Capture him at once!" The gophers got closer but the snake hissed at them, driving them back. "It's not even a venomous species," Ricky told them. "You can hold him."
"Snakes are the least of your concern, Your Stupidness," Greg smugly told him.
"I order you to take that back at once, henchman!"
"Oh, you did not just tell him to hench," Helen complained.
"Careful!" Sky warned him. "That army of gophers is dangerous!"
"Not if you have the right tools," Greg countered as he held up a device. "One sonic weapon constructed out of a smartwatch." He switched it on. "I'm not hearing anything," Helen noted. The gophers holding them suddenly started squealing in pain as they covered their ears, and they panicked after they dropped the teens. "NO!" Ricky cried out. "My minions!" One gopher crashed into the snake-mantis while another broke the lever to open the pit. "We're free!" Lacey cheered as she crawled out. "Phew, that place STANK!"
"We'd better hurry and get out of here," Mike advised as he wrapped some cloth around his ears. "Statue or no statue."
"Paul, grab the statue," Greg ordered as he tried to dodge Ricky's attacks. "You're closest to it. It's on the throne."
"AHHH!" Paul screamed out in pain as he curled up on the ground and attempted to cover his ears. "MAKE IT STOP!"
"He can't move," Trent informed him after changing back. "He was drugged by some muscle relaxant that numbed his limbs."
"I see the statue," Jo noted to her teammates. "Go grab it!" Zee ran over and grabbed the Frogs' Chris statue off the throne. "Whoo-hoo!" he cheered. "I won!"
"It won't count unless we leave," Jasmine pointed out. "Aha! Mine carts! Frogs, onto there!" Zee was about to run off when the statue was snatched away. "Keep away!" Kimmy giggled. "Can't catch me!"
"Yes, I will!" Zee exclaimed as he started to chase her.
"Are you kidding me?" Jasmine scolded. "This is no time for games!"
"If you can hear this," Chris announced over the intercoms, "Congrats. You're not dead yet. Wherever you are, immediately discard your bombs- I mean, backpacks, and run!"
"BOMBS?!" Jo gasped as everyone saw their backpacks were indeed loaded with bombs. "Too far, McLean! Too far!"
"I got our statue!" Courtney cheered before running off.
"DJ..." Harold moaned as he, Sam and Dawn weakly walked over. "Help..."
"We're not feeling so great," Zoey groaned as she struggled to carry Dave and Lindsay. The group gasped as some mutant gophers surrounded them. "Hang on!" DJ rallied as he, Mike and Lacey rushed over to help, though Lacey quickly pocketed her team's statue before joining them.
"Keep an eye on our statue," Tyler told Greg as he passed the Bears' statue to him. "I'm coming, Lindsay!"
"Oops," Greg said as he tossed the statue away. "Butterfingers. Just too greasy to hold." However, the statue got caught in Sugar's hair. "Sugar's gonna take you straight home," she told her gem as she walked off. Zee was still chasing Kimmy when Phoebe tackled the ghost girl, going through her but catching the statue. "You won!" Kimmy cheered. "Nice one, Phoebe! Good game."
"Yeah, thanks," Phoebe coughed out.
"Where is our team?" Valerie demanded as she, Jo and Jasmine sat in the mine cart. "They should be here by now." The majority of the stronger players were struggling to defend the weaker players from the mutant gophers. "Stay back!" Trent shouted as he shielded Paul. "Back!" Sierra was trying to whack a gopher with a stick while Helga was lifting Gwen and Heather out of the gophers' reach. Sky shielded Tyler and Millie while Mike and Keith were struggling to keep the gophers at bay from the remaining teens. Phoebe was about to board the carts when she noticed the chaos behind her. "What's keeping you?" Jasmine questioned with an annoyed look. "We have to go!"
"But Coach and all the others..." Phoebe thought.
"The enemy! They don't matter! What matters is us winning!"
"No, it does not!" Phoebe started running back. "Hey!" Jasmine shouted. "HEY! Fine! You can die like the traitor you are!"
"I can't hold on!" Keith groaned as his strength began to weaken. "These things are tough!" One gopher tripped Helga, making her fall along with Gwen and Heather. "No!" Heather cried out as she cowered in fear.
"Looks like it's the end," Sky gulped. "Since we're gonna die, there's something I wanna say. Dave...I..." CLUNK! The gophers attacking the group suddenly fell unconscious. "Nice one, Keith," Harold noted.
"That wasn't me," Keith told him. The group turned to see Phoebe standing ahead. "NEVER leave a man behind!" she declared as she held up the Frogs' now-broken statue. She glanced over to see Kimmy helping Ricky up. "See you later for some more playing," she told her with a wave.
"Indeed," Ricky breathed out. "EVIL such as myself cannot be quenched so easily! Oh, and, um, give Max my regards, will you?" The two of them vanished in front of Phoebe's eyes. "Will you be okay?" Keith asked her.
"I...I will be," Phoebe replied. "Now, let's go save everyone!" She and Keith helped load everyone into the carts and started pushing it ahead before they hopped in themselves. The teens rushed down on the tracks, going over humps and hills. Outside, Chris and Chef were dressed in hazmat suits. "They're really cutting it close," Chris thought. Everyone screamed as the mine carts rocketed outside and crashed. The Bears' statue was flung at Chris's feet, then the Rats' and Gophers'. "And the Bears are the big winners!" Chris announced, "With the Rats and Gophers tying for second place."
"YEAH!" Millie, Tyler and Alejandro cheered.
"Whoo-hoo," Greg blandly agreed.
"All clear?" Chris asked Chef, who nodded yes. "EXECUTING OPERATION DOOMSDAY!" He pressed a button, and the mine was sealed shut with an explosion. "This wasn't about the statues," DJ realized as he approached Chris.
"Sure, it was," Chris told him. "And as an added bonus, you just help me seal off the toxic waste forever and get the feds off my back. It's win-win...for me."
"Well, that's low, McLean," Jo scolded, "Even for you."
"Yeah, I just keep getting better. Frogs, hope you're hungry for marshmallows, but first, before there's permanent genetic damage..." Chef blasted the teens with a high-pressure water hose, dousing them completely. "Great," Jasmine complained after returning to her feet. "Just great. We were doing so well and now look what happened!"
"Close that fat mouth of yours right now!" Helga scolded. "You have no right to speak!"
"She's completely right," Nikki agreed. "You were more than willing to let the Rats, Gophers and Bears die in that mine!"
"The enemy!" Jasmine protested. "They got in your head and warped it!"
"It's YOU that has a warped head!" Sol argued. "We could barely have gotten out of that mess alive had the others not intervened!"
"Not to mention you called Phoebe a traitor for saving all our butts," Zoey added. "Who would even do that?!"
"I'm trying to help our own," Jasmine defended.
"Some help," Heather scoffed. "I wouldn't ask for your help if you were the last person on the island!"
"That was cruel even for the show's standards," Bowie told Jasmine. "We may all want to win, but we wouldn't resort to letting a whole group of people die in an explosion!"
"She's totally scaring me right now," Zee gulped as he hid behind Keith.
"Like Jasmine holds any power now," Nikki scoffed.
"Jasmine?" The group turned to see Phoebe just frozen in place, with only one of her eyes twitching. "Like she'll scare anyone," Jasmine argued. "And I hope shell enjoy the catapult tonight for costing us the challenge!"
"You..." Phoebe seethed as she tugged at her frazzled hair, "You...you...BITCH!"
"Oh, sweet Lord," Keith gulped with utter terror as he started backing away. "We're in a world of hell now." Phoebe let out a primal scream as she lunged at Jasmine and started to attack the Australian. The others could only stare in a stunned surprise as Jasmine kept getting mercilessly pummeled. "Who knew she could be so brutal?" Bryan thought.
"Do something, dude!" Shawn told Keith as he pushed him forward. "You know how to control Phoebe." Keith went over and yanked Phoebe off the bruised Jasmine. "You okay?" he asked.
"I don't think anything's broken," Jasmine moaned. She cried out in pain after Keith stomped her hand. "Didn't ask you!" he scolded. "Let's go, Phoebe." Later that evening, Phoebe was scrubbing her tongue with a bar of soap. "Barry, don't lick that," Keith advised as he pulled the chupacabra back. "And I think that's enough scrubbing, squirt." Phoebe just muffled something. Keith splashed some water on her face, washing the suds off. "Thank you," Phoebe coughed out. She then noticed Sky entering the cabin and sprawling on her bunk. "Everything okay?" Keith asked.
"Leave me alone," Sky muffled as she covered her head with a pillow.
"You know we're gonna have to vote soon," Phoebe informed her as she removed the pillow. "Are you worried about that?"
"I think she's more worried about Davey-boy," Keith teased. He noticed Sky's hard stare. "Quit while you're ahead, Coach."
"I'm kinda worried about tonight," Phoebe admitted. "After what happened..."
"Phoebe, no one will try to vote you off after you saved all our necks," Sky assured her.
"Except that Australian," Keith scoffed, "But she's doomed after that little outburst she had. No one would want to keep her around." Phoebe simply wrapped the camo sheet around her and snuggled Pete. "I hope you're right," she muttered. Unknown to the trio, a figure was eavesdropping from outside and he smirked before walking off.
Over by the dock, Lindsay was walking along when she tripped over something. "Huh?" she thought. "What was-?" She gasped with excitement at what exactly she tripped over.
"Ow," Paul moaned after Dawn finished wrapping some bandages around his ears as the duo sat in the Bear cabin. "Man, that hurts!"
"You must be careful against sensory overload," Dawn advised. "You're lucky the damage won't be permanent." The duo heard a knock on the door. "May I come in?" Trent asked.
"Permission granted," Dawn assured him. "You wished to talk?"
"Well, I, um, wanted to thank Paul for saving my ass in the tunnel earlier. Even when no one else wanted anything to do with me."
"Of course," Paul replied. "Dude, let me tell you this: despite what you...are, you definitely have more humanity than some of the creeps on the island such as Jasmine and Val."
"Thanks, man. So, um, this may strange, but I wanted to ask: you wouldn't happen to be a fellow monster, would you?" Paul got a surprised look at Trent's question. "What makes you think that?" the mechanic wondered.
"I was thinking how you handled those gophers," Trent recalled, "And how you were the only person in pain with that sonic thing...and I think your teeth look kinda sharp and the eyes..."
"Guess someone finally noticed," Dawn giggled with a friendly nudge to Paul.
"It's a bit of a long story how it happened," Paul admitted.
"I won't pry," Trent told him. "And I'll keep it secret. I understand how bad things are with me. Don't want you going through the same thing."
"Um, thanks." Later that evening, the Frogs of Death were sitting at the campfire ceremony. Sierra, Cameron, Scarlett, Nikki, Helga, Sky and Valerie were seated in the back row while Jo, Sol, Mike, Zoey, Zee, Jasmine and Phoebe were seated in the front row. "The votes are in," Chris began. "Who will become tonight's loser and leave the game forever? The following players are safe: Nikki, Helga, Cameron, Sierra, Sky, Sol, Zoey, Scarlett, Mike, Jo, Zee, Valerie. Final marshmallow goes to..." Phoebe looked ahead while Jasmine simply hung her head down. "Jasmine!" Chris announced.
"Yes!" Jasmine cheered. "I'm-" She caught the marshmallow in her mouth and started to choke. "Looks like your tour of duty has come to an end," Chris taunted Phoebe. "DISMISSED!"
"Me?" Phoebe squealed out. "But...why?"
"It's so sad!" Zee cried out as he hugged her. "You shouldn't be leaving!"
"He's right," Zoey defended. "Phoebe shouldn't be leaving. I didn't vote for her."
"Neither did we," Scarlett thought as she looked over to Cameron and Sierra.
"I thought Jasmine was our vote," Nikki spoke up.
"It was," Jo agreed. "It's the one time I didn't want her to leave."
"So how did it happen?" Sol inquired.
"Jasmine obviously tampered with the votes!" Sky accused. "It's the only thing that makes sense!"
"What?!" Jasmine protested. "I didn't!"
"Chris, you must allow a revote."
"We don't do revotes on this show," Chris shrugged. "Sorry. Phoebe, let's go." Phoebe let out a sniffle as she left the campfire. Inside a nearby bush, Bryan smirked as he watched the scene unfold.
Confessional: Bryan (Screaming Gophers)
"Getting rid of Phoebe definitely ruffled quite the feathers. It took a little bit of elbow grease to open up the box, but the rewards reaped was worth it. Now the Frogs of Death will be thrown into complete disarray due to the shattered trust. Best of all, no one will ever suspect some 'dead fly' was the mastermind behind it all." He let out an evil laugh.
End Confessional
Phoebe was later seated in the Hurl of Shame. "Any last words, Super Zero?" Chris teased.
"Phoebe, wait!" Helen called out. She and all of the Gophers, Rats and Bears, minus one, gave her a salute. Phoebe let out a tear as she saluted back. "They really voted you off?" Keith thought as he and Barry approached her. He and Barry were suddenly shoved aside and splashed into the lake. "Move over, Wonder Wuss!" Sugar barked out as she sat on the Hurl of Shame, nearly crushing Phoebe.
"The hell was that for?!" Keith demanded after he and Barry crawled back to the dock.
"It's cause I've got a jeweler to see and a bank account to open!"
"Uh, you know the catapult is for exits only," Chris informed Sugar.
"Good," Sugar scoffed. "I quit. I don't need this two-bit place anymore. This diamond is worth more than anything you'll own!"
"Not unless cubic zirconia has suddenly skyrocketed on the market," Greg informed her with a sly smirk.
"I'm no geology expert," Shawn thought, "But aren't diamonds made of pure, hardened carbon?"
"What?!" Sugar realized. "No! This is a real diamond!"
"Nope," Chris told her. "That's practically worthless. Lamest mine ever! Why did you think I dumped all that waste in there?"
"Congratulations, Queenie," Greg taunted to the stunned Sugar. "You just made a bigger monkey out of yourself. Tell Ella and Ethan we said hi."
"WAIT!" Sugar cried out in a panic. "I'VE CHANGED MY-" She and Phoebe screamed as they were hurled off the island. "Phoebe..." Keith muttered as his eyes were glued to the sky.
"The only good thing about tonight is that we're rid of Sugar," Millie sighed. "Poor Phoebe."
"I just hope our team doesn't lose again," Greg reasoned before turning towards another, "Right, Al?"
"Right," Alejandro confidently agreed. However, Greg's smirk made his confidence waver. "Crap," Alejandro quietly muttered.
"Confused Bears," Chris announced, catching their attention, though Keith was still staring at the sky, "You're down a player and one of my interns isn't working out. But I can't fire him or Mister Morningstar threatened to sue my pants off, so...say hello to your new teammate, Dean."
"New?" Shawn thought. "He was on the Bears to begin with."
"MCLEAN!" Dean shouted as Stan wheeled him in bound on a stretcher. "WAIT UNTIL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!"
"You're back!" Carly squealed as she hugged the former intern. "And you're ba- Uh, bringing your A-game!"
"And your head's as bare as a baby's bottom," Heather remarked. She was nudged in the stomach. "Nothing a good hat won't fix," Carly assured Dean.
"He can't do this to me!" Dean protested.
"Oh, yes, I can," Chris smugly replied. "Contract. Ironclad."
"Again?!" Dean and Carly groaned.
"Join us next time for more danger, treachery and radical hair removal methods on Total...Drama...Island!"
Votes:
Original votes unknown
Eliminated: Phoebe (Bryan rigged the votes against her), Sugar (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)
Xth) Dean (Confused Bears)
87) Alan (Screaming Gophers)
86) Leonard (Toxic Rats)
85) "Dumb" Damien (Screaming Gophers)
84/83) Corey (Screaming Gophers)/Laney (Frogs of Death)
82) Jane (Frogs of Death)
81) "Smart" Damien (Frogs of Death)
80) MK (Toxic Rats)
79/78) Wayne/Raj (Toxic Rats)
77) Dakota (Toxic Rats)
76) Lara (Confused Bears)
75) Beardo (Confused Bears)
74) Amy (Frogs of Death)
73) Ripper (Frogs of Death)
72) Chase (Screaming Gophers)
71) Emma (Toxic Rats)
70) Izzy (Screaming Gophers)
69) Cody (Screaming Gophers)
68) Beth (Screaming Gophers)
67) Rose (Screaming Gophers)
66) Ezekiel (Confused Bears)
65) Anthony (Toxic Rats)
64) Luna (Toxic Rats)
63/62) Brick (Frogs of Death)/Melody (Confused Bears)
61) Max (Screaming Gophers)
60) Rodney (Confused Bears)
59) Sarah (Screaming Gophers)
58) Bridgette (Toxic Rats)
57) Lucas (Screaming Gophers)
56) Samey (Frogs of Death)
55/54) Shane (Frogs of Death)/Ella (Confused Bears)
53) Anne-Maria (Frogs of Death)
52/51) Topher (Frogs of Death)/Blainley (Confused Bears)
50) Julia (Toxic Rats)
49) Priya (Confused Bears)
48) Lightning (Toxic Rats)
47) Destiny (Confused Bears)
46) Ethan (Confused Bears)
45) Echo (Screaming Gophers)
44/43) Phoebe (Frogs of Death)/Sugar (Confused Bears)
Episode 52! And boy, was it a gut-wrencher or what? Phoebe, poor Phoebe, her time was tragically cut short after the votes were tampered against her, and all so Bryan can keep the discord in the Frogs going. But on a lighter note, Sugar is finally gone! She was at the height of her peak, only to humiliate herself in the worst way possible after she got a "diamond" that had no real value. And now Alejandro is in a particularly dangerous spot without Sugar as his shield anymore. What might happen now?
And boy, Jasmine was definitely at her lowest here. Willing to leave people in a toxic mine simply because they were on the opposite teams... Luckily, she was called out by quite a bit of her team. Dean also makes his return, though Chris "thanked" his actions by tossing him into the mine. Let's hope that grudge eases up...
Next episode will have the teams search for one of their own, crossing great swamps to gain their treasure. Until next time, enjoy and have a good day.