Episode 2
The next morning
Bradley the skunk could be seen running up to the center space between the boys and girls trailers where they slept. Despite the fact that the sun has not risen yet. The skunk was prepared to wake them up because of Chris' orders. Now Bradley was pulling out a set of bagpipes and adjusting them so they could perform properly.
Once ready, Bradley started playing an out of tune song with no clear rhythm. Making it sound like he was blowing out all of the air in his lungs to be as loud as possible. Which clearly appeared to be his mission as he was very loud and very hard to ignore.
So much so that Leshawna came out of the trailer and threw a clothes iron towards Bradley.
"Shut that stupid music down! I need my beauty sleep!" Leshawna angrily yelled.
Bradley just chuckled as he ran away before Chris arrived on his ATV.
Which left Leshawna quickly realizing this was Chris' plan and that if Chris is involved. She was about to hear something she really did not like. Neither would everyone else as they also got out of bed to see the cause of the noise.
"Again, Chris? This isn't the camp anymore!" Leshawna yelled.
"Good morning to you too, Leshawna. You're right about it not being camp, but we're on a movie set. Therefore, like real actors, you gotta wake up at dawn to get ready for the shooting taking place at 9am." Chris explained, making everyone feel annoyed.
"Is he kidding? Do we have to be awake five hours early?" Heather asked.
"Ooh! Ooh! Maybe we can get our makeup and hair done!" Lindsay said, thinking such services existed.
"It does make sense. Boris Karloff had to wait four hours every morning so they could film Frankenstein." Harold explained, sharing his trivia.
"I can make you look like Frankenstein in four minutes if you want." Duncan said, gesturing to his fists.
Owen ignored the random bullying and gently pushed past his friends.
"Sorry guys, but if we gotta wake up this early. I'm gonna get some breakfast or whatever they call food at dawn." Owen said, now feeling better after the medicine accident.
A while later
Chris returned on his ATV and quickly did a headcount so he wouldn't have to repeat himself. Especially as he had to do a reminder given today's challenge.
"Okay everyone, in case you forgot or didn't pay attention, Trent and Gwen won the last challenge. Therefore, they will become captains on opposing sides." Chris said, making the couple feel sad again.
"Oh get over yourselves. You were bound to compete against each other eventually." Heather said, hitting them with the harsh truth.
"Heather's right, so I need the remaining ten of you to line up. We'll do this gym style and let Trent and Gwen pick. Gwen, you will pick first." Chris explained.
Everyone sighed as Trent and Gwen moved on opposite sides while everyone else lined up. All waiting to see what kind of mess they were about to make from these custom teams.
"I guess I'll pick Duncan." Gwen said half heartedly.
Duncan chuckled as he gave her a high five and joined her side. Which didn't go well with Trent who immediately got jealous.
"Then I'll pick the beautiful Lindsay." Trent said, offending Gwen with his statement.
As Lindsay joined Trent's side, she attempted to use her brain and think. Unfortunately, her intelligence level appeared to be much lower than expected.
"Hey, I got an idea. After Gwen's turn, you should pick Tyler." she whispered.
"He's not in the game." Trent said, confusing Lindsay.
Meanwhile, Gwen ignored the stupidity and continued, "I pick Leshawna."
"Girl, we are back!" Leshawna said, high fiving Gwen.
"Then Justin is on my team." Trent said, earning a nod from Justin.
"Oh sure, pick all the beautiful people." Gwen said sarcastically.
Justin paused, "Being beautiful shouldn't be a crime."
Trent put a hand on his shoulder, "It's not, it's a legal weapon of sorts."
Justin smiled and nodded, taking the comment as a compliment.
"I pick DJ." Gwen said.
"Beth." Trent called out.
As the two went to their respective teams. Leshawna whispered something into Gwen's ear that made the goth look like she wanted to die.
"We pick Heather." Gwen said on Leshawna's advice.
"Me!? Seriously!?" Heather asked with wide eyes.
Heather snapped out of her shock and instantly believed that Gwen saw her importance as a teammate. Even though Gwen and Leshawna both hated her, she would try to make the most of it. Although the truth behind this was likely because they could keep tabs on Heather. As Heather would likely try to push Trent if not find another way to hurt Gwen's team.
At the same time, Trent was stuck with choosing between Izzy, Owen and Harold. The two boys weren't anyone's favorite but Trent had to settle with someone who made more progress.
"Owen." Trent said, offending Harold.
"You would pick Owen over me? The guy with the mad skills? The guy who—"
"I'll pick Harold if for no other reason but to shut him up." Gwen said.
"Wise choice." Harold said after calming down.
That just left Izzy who stood there like she didn't exist. Once again, she acted like no one was talking to her as Trent kept referring to her by her real name.
"She likes to be called Kaleidoscope." Lindsay told him.
Trent sighed, "E-Scope, you're with me."
Izzy grinned as she joined Trent's team.
Once things were settled, Chris could begin giving team names and announcing the challenge.
"Trent's team, you are the Killer Grips." Chris said, much to Beth's dismay at the name. "Gwen, your team will be the Screaming Gaffers."
"What even is a gapper? It sounds like something you would vomit." Heather said, not liking the team name.
"Yeah, I don't care if you like it." Chris said as he began moving.
"Shocking." Heather said sarcastically.
"What even is our challenge?" Gwen asked.
"Is it a musical? I hope it's a musical!" Lindsay said.
"No, Lindsay it's not… actually, I think it technically counts as a musical." Chris said after thinking about it.
"Woah, I don't sing and dance!" Duncan pointed out.
"I can bust a move but I can't hit a high note." Leshawna said as she shook her hips.
Chris chuckled, "Don't worry we're not here for your bad vocals. You see, this movie was categorized under Latin dance films like Tango de la Muerte."
"Woah, that movie? Things just got too spicy for the pepper." Leshawna asked.
"Muy caliente as they say." Owen said, acting like he did eat a pepper.
"Get over it, your first step is to decide who's dancing and before you say anything. You will be provided with a dance instructor so we can avoid traumatizing the audience." Chris explained.
Most of them groaned while the others either seemed excited or willing to try something with Latin flavor.
Elsewhere
As the teams were set up and Chris was getting everyone ready to arrive. Naruto was with a couple of family members and his servants on set. Naruto himself was wearing a red dress shirt with black pants and dancing shoes. While Medusa herself was wearing a Latin styled dress with the same color scheme along with her hair being styled to look more wavy.
Before those two got to practicing for their part in the show. They saw Kushina making a mess on set.
"What is she doing?" Naruto asked.
"We gave her a copy of Tango de la Muerte to better understand the challenge." Medusa answered.
The two then saw Kushina twirling around while gripping Veldora's wrists tightly. With the latter screaming in terror before Kushina's grip slipped and sent Veldora crashing through a window.
"Uh oh, I slipped." Kushina said.
"I think she had too much fun." Naruto said.
"Naruto! I'm a salsa master!" Kushina said as she waved at her son.
Before Naruto said anything, Kushina saw Milim who was reaching for some Mexican food on a table. Only for Kushina to grab her by the wrist and twirl her around.
"Dance with me, Milim!" She said.
"Ahhh! This is a boy/girl dance! Why am I involved!?" Milim asked.
Kushina let go only to watch Milim spin like a top as she flew through the ceiling.
"Oops! I lost another one! Haha!" Kushina said.
Naruto sighed, "Mother, maybe you can practice in the back while we film."
Kushina pouted, "Fine, but I'm coming back. You owe me a dance."
"Very well." Naruto replied as Kushina got off of the set.
Then the Pleiades quickly fixed all the damage just as Chris arrived to enter the dressing room. By the time the host prepared himself in a stereotypical Latin outfit, the two teams finally arrived.
"Welcome to the dance hall, everybody. You two will get to see some real salsa dancing and then learn." Chris said, gesturing to Naruto and Medusa.
"Somehow I know this just became 120% more difficult." Harold commented.
The two did a simple dance that looked like it did some fancy footwork. With Naruto twirling Medusa a couple of times with him lifting her up as she did a quick twirl around his waist without falling and landing elegantly.
"That looked easy enough." Trent said absentmindedly.
"That was just for show, dude. Baby stuff." Chris said, making the Killer Grips glare at Trent.
"That's why I made a personal call to my Brazilian instructor." Naruto spoke up as the doors opened wide open.
Then came a Brazilian man with curled hair and a mustache with a dress shirt exposing a part of his chest and fancy dress pants. The man strolled in like he owned the place while shaking his hips as if to give sass as he scanned the contestants.
"Boys and girls, I am Tiago and I teach Samba. Now when I look at you, I see babies. Bleached ones too." Tiago said as he looked at Gwen and Heather.
The two girls didn't like being called out for being pale but didn't have a chance to respond. As Tiago then looked at the rest of their team along with Trent's team.
"I see, I have to start with baby steps. You're lucky I'm here as a favor and to spread the magic of the dance." Tiago said.
"You get four to six hours." Chris said.
"That is too little time!" Tiago said before raising his head and putting a hand over his eyes. "But it is not impossible!"
Tiago did a spin before stretching his leg against the handlebar. Despite it not looking too impressive, everyone felt like their legs would snap if they gave it a try. Everyone except Harold who was eager to impress Leshawna.
"Like this, Senor Tiago?" Harold asked as he stretched his leg.
Tiago shook his head, "No, you gotta stretch out the leg some more."
Harold stepped back and extended his leg again.
"Little more."
Harold adjusted himself.
"Now keep it straight. Don't relax just yet."
Harold suddenly felt his leg cramp up.
"Perfect, just like that!"
Harold forced a smile but then remembered that was just a basic exercise.
"Good, now everyone does what Harold is doing." Tiago ordered, making everyone groan.
"Haha, now is a good time to cut to commercial." Chris said.
Two hours later
By this point, both teams decided on which pair would represent them in the challenge. Which was an ironic choice and it only seemed to build more rivalry. Which benefitted Chris for the sake of ratings and Tiago who thought it would motivate the passion.
"El Músico, Trent and the Adoravel Lindsay against the Deliquente Duncan and the Gotico Gwendolyne. You four will be the ones carrying the soul of your teams." Tiago said before looking at everyone else.
Owen was crying on the ground while holding his knees while Beth looked sick and Justin was doing some breathing exercises or something. At the same time, Heather and Leshawna were taking foot baths after someone stepped on their feet too much while Harold was passed out on the ground. Izzy was tied up in a weird knot and DJ was also holding his knees in pain.
"What the heck? What's wrong with Justin?" Heather asked.
"Hey, dancing is nice and all but I don't have the reflexes to keep up." Justin said, looking barely winded.
Then Chris arrived, "Seeing as how you're still alive. The rest of you get to handle the next part of the challenge."
"No more, I can't handle the spinning." Beth pleaded.
"No more dancing for you Beth. Because both teams will have to design outfits for your dancers." Chris said.
Beth instantly sat up, "Oh my gosh! I used to crochet and knit! I'm going to make Lindsay look so beautiful!"
"Designing? I can do that. No pressure." DJ said, feeling more confident.
"I love the enthusiasm, but a couple of ground rules. They gotta match Latin outfits. So girly tutus or creepy Victorian stuff. Also, while it is hilarious, if the clothes rip during the dance that's an automatic disqualification." Chris explained.
At that moment, the maids set up the tables filled with the fabrics and tools needed to design fancy dresses. Along with a few booklets to use as reference for the designs.
"Yay! But wait, we don't have the measurements." Beth said.
Suddenly, Trent, Lindsay, Gwen and Duncan were held down by a couple of the maids who tugged on their bodies and used tape measures for every angle of their body. Once done, they were thrown aside and both teams got their accurate measurements.
"Oh, that's good but… woah, we're going to need a lot of fabric for Lindsay's chest." Beth said as she grabbed some pins.
"Good, because the final dance will start at 7pm. Good luck." Chris said as he left.
"Woah! I didn't agree to wear a stupid outfit!" Duncan yelled.
Gwen sighed, "Not even for a million dollars?"
"Okay, maybe it's not a bad deal." Duncan said.
"Maybe he's afraid that Courtney will laugh at him." Lindsay said.
Duncan suddenly sputtered and was unable to formulate proper sentences. Which caught Trent's attention as he only now remembered Duncan's fling with Courtney. His random jealousy towards Duncan started to fade with the next statement.
"I don't care what Courtney thinks! She wants to laugh, let her! It's not like I miss her or anything!" Duncan said, denying his feelings for Courtney.
"Then why do you keep a photo of her under your pillow?" Gwen curiously asked.
"What the!? I don't have one!" Duncan lied.
Tiago chuckled, "Oh, the boy is still a boy. He's still afraid of showing his passion. He is far from ready."
"Screw you, Fancy Dance Jerk! I got lots of passion. I mean… I got… who told you about my photo, Gwen? Was it Harold?" Duncan asked.
"You wish, but now I know!" Harold said before running away.
Trent started to feel stupid about his earlier statements and actions.
Trent's confessional
"Okay, maybe I'm being a doofus. Seriously, Duncan may be a jerk but it's not like Gwen's cheating on me. Hopefully she lets me make it up to her later." Trent said with a tired sigh.
Trent also hoped there wouldn't be hard feelings regardless of the outcome of the challenge.
A while later
Two hours later, Lindsay took a break from the dancing and sat down so Beth could let her do some adjustments.
"Is this how athletes feel? Because I'm going to need a shower before and after the dance." Lindsay said as she fanned her face.
Beth got to work on wiping her sweat off of her brow before getting to work.
"Don't worry Lindsay, I'm no fashion designer but together. We can both win the hearts of the audience and challenge." Beth said.
At the same time, Izzy was swinging around some knives and scissors in the angles Beth marked on the fabrics. Using her speed and agility, the crazy girl managed to get a part of the dress design ready.
"Wow, you're really good at that." Owen complimented.
"I guess I am, you know, I used to take art classes back in the day. My teacher said I had a thing for coco." Izzy said only to suddenly be shocked.
"Woah, what was that?" Owen asked.
"Uh, nothing, but also I lied. My teacher said I was loco." Izzy answered.
"Wow, shocking." Justin said sarcastically.
Justin then finished cutting up the patterns Beth gave him. He then quickly ironed up the pants that were finished and gave them to Trent.
"Hey Trent, even though I can't dance, I can give you some tips on posing. That way, your entrance and finale could win the hearts of the judges." Justin said.
"I'm not sure if that will work." Trent replied.
"Trust me, these shows are half skill and half appearance. You just gotta flip Lindsay around and look good doing it." Justin explained.
Trent looked at the other team which showed Heather and Leshawna looking ready to fight. With Gwen trying to practice some silly poses while Duncan just stretched.
"I guess it would be nice to guarantee the win." Trent said, accepting the offer.
"Good, maybe we can get some gel on that head of yours too." Justin suggested.
Later that evening
The teams were ready for the dance competition as the room became dark and dim. With one spotlight turning on to reveal Chris in his own dance uniform while Chef stood in the back dressed like a Mariachi musician with a guitar. Chris then did a simple yet flashy dance as Chef played on his guitar.
"Welcome back, amigos, let's see how our two teams hold up." Chris said as the lights turned on again.
A smokescreen turned on as Beth and Owen came walking out throwing flower petals behind them. Where they were then followed by a well dressed Trent who was wearing a brown jacket with tight dress pants and his hair gelled back. He could then be seen holding Lindsay's hand as she came out with a Latin transformation. Lindsay's hair was tied in a large braid held with hair ornaments along with a beautiful dress that stopped right at her knees with her chest mostly covered.
Luckily the clothes were adjusted to avoid both some censorship and a malfunction.
"Woah, the Killer Grips are taking this seriously. I wonder how the Screaming Gaffers will do." Chris said as he looked the other way.
Unlike the Killer Grips, they had to be a lot less flashy as Harold just had Leshawna and Heather wave some large feathers around as Gwen and Duncan came out. Gwen came out wearing low heeled boots with a green and black sparkling dress with a domino mask and a few decorative feathers on her shoulders. Duncan wore a dress shirt and pants with the same color scheme but had feathers hanging off of his sleeves with a domino mask as well.
"Okay, points for originality. I'll give you that." Chris said with a nod.
"Harold, why do we look like a pair of bandit chickens?" Duncan asked, looking annoyed.
"I was aiming towards an artistic mix. Also, from what I researched, we learned samba. It's more about footwork rather than moving fluidly so the feathers might look flashier." Harold explained.
"I hope we get points for being flashy then." Leshawna said.
That's when DJ entered the room and played a few nice chords on a guitar with some nice dress pants and a buttoned up shirt.
"How is it that DJ isn't participating but doesn't look stupid?" Duncan asked.
DJ suddenly looked around, "I thought we were all getting dressed up?"
"We ran out of fabric. Not that we had enough for my ten pack, haha." Harold said, making DJ feel embarrassed.
DJ's confessional
"It could be worse, at least the clothes fit and aren't ripping. Besides, mama wouldn't approve of me showing my chest like I'm a man of the night." DJ said before strumming the guitar again.
Unknown to DJ, his mother at least thought he looked handsome in his outfit. As well as him being right that she wouldn't want him flexing his chest like Tiago and the boys.
Back on set
Once everyone was presented and ready, Chris tapped his foot a few times before jumping over a table where he was joined by Chef along with Pane and Panic who were wearing fake beards and sombreros.
"Welcome to the challenge everyone, consider it the final round since the rest of you are just worse at dancing." Chris said.
"I spit on the rest of." Tiago said before literally spitting into a bucket.
"Now, before we get started. Let's show you what you have to keep up with." Chris said before clapping his hands together.
A moment later, Naruto and Medusa returned hand in hand and took the center of the hall again. Just as they were about to do a dance, a medic arrived and showed Naruto a document.
"Your wife is perfectly fine, my lord. Although, I couldn't find any sign of pregnancy. Forgive me for saying that was an odd request." the medic said.
Naruto waved them off, leaving everyone confused as to why he requested a pregnancy. The music then started up and the husband and wife started dancing.
"Anyone wonder why he asked for a pregnancy test?" Owen asked as he ate from the food table.
"It's a mystery, like the mystery of the dance, amigo." Tiago said as he also grabbed some food.
That's when Naruto and Medusa performed some basic samba moves. The two moving with quick yet simple steps without breaking synchronicity. Medusa pulled back and extended her arm a few times without losing her grip followed by a simple twirl.
"Big deal, it's not any different." Duncan said as he looked away.
"Uh, you might want to look again." Gwen suggested.
Everyone then saw Naruto lift Medusa as she did a planking position before extending her arms. Then like the serpent she was, she moved around Naruto's body without him dropping her. Which then reached a whole new level as Medusa started spinning around his body and looked like a mini tornado by this point.
"I'm getting dizzy." Lindsay said as she stumbled.
After the spinning ended, Naruto let Medusa land on her feet and held only one of her hands as they ended the dance with their arms extended. This earned a random bouquet from someone watching in the background. Along with a surprised look from Tiago who almost choked on the food.
"Oh, he didn't pull out." Tiago said.
"What?" Owen asked.
"Naruto, he didn't pull out. A move like that makes sex look like a church." Tiago said.
"What does that mean?" Owen asked as his face flushed red.
"Could we get a doctor to check again in 30 minutes?" Tiago asked as he looked around.
"We can worry about that later. Now, the rest of you, you don't have to match Naruto and Medusa but know that the audience will still have high expectations of you." Chris explained.
"That doesn't make me feel any better." Gwen said.
"It wasn't supposed to. Besides, if you dance well by the end, it makes you stronger or whatever." Chris said.
Now the two teams felt more anxious given that fancy display of dancing that ended just a minute ago. Forcing the two pairs of dancers to try their best while at the same time, feeling anxious about being the best in general.
"Now, lights! Cameras! Dance!" Chris ordered.
A second later, Gwen felt like she was dragging Duncan along and ended up stepping on his foot. While Trent was moving a bit too quickly for Lindsay to keep up with the girl actually cooling her head.
"Duncan, move faster." Gwen whispered.
"I will when you stop dragging me!" Duncan replied.
"Uh, Trent, I don't think I can run in these heels." Lindsay said before being dipped.
"Don't worry, just let me do all the work and just look fancy." Trent said as Lindsay hesitantly nodded.
So far, the dances didn't look messy but a seasoned dancer can see pain when they recognize it. Chris was no such person but was expecting someone to either collapse or get injured at any moment.
"Maybe we should turn up the speed." Chris suggested.
Pane and Panic pulled out a machine and started setting the music speed to go faster. Forcing the dancers to move even faster than before.
Lindsayl winced in pain as she felt her upper body cramp up. She still managed to find the willpower to keep up the pose as Trent sloppily spun around before putting Lindsay down and twirling her.
"You like that Gwen?" Trent asked with a smirk.
Gwen rolled her eyes, "Duncan, you're right. I may be the leader, but you should call the shots."
"Finally! Now we're doing things my way!" Duncan said before making Gwen pause.
That's when Duncan swung Gwen in a way that made her move forward. Before he grabbed her other hand and moved backwards before letting go of one hand and twirling around. Duncan then pulled her close and dipped her before taking a risk and lifting Gwen over his shoulder.
(A/N: Yeah, I know I suck at describing dancing. I rely on fictional media for dance move.)
Chef whistled, "That boy is done being pushed around."
"Oh man, this is either going to end painfully or with a victory." Chris said.
"I'll turn up the music." Panic said.
"Good call!" Chris said as he heard the beat move faster.
At this point, both pairs were trying to move faster but Duncan was somehow leaving Trent in the dust. While Trent was repeatedly twirling Lindsay around and lifting her on occasion. Duncan took a major risk and did a combination of both while moving around in a circle very quickly. Where he made Gwen almost look like a pair of nunchucks.
"Okay, I really hate to say this but Duncan has some mad skills." Harold said before almost gagging.
"You can say that again. I'm just sweating from watching this alone." DJ said as he wiped his sweat away.
"Duncan, as hilarious as it would be! Don't drop that goth girl!" Heather shouted.
Heather's confessional
"Okay, as hilarious as it would be to see Gwen get dropped on her head. I am not risking losing this challenge for five minutes of comedy gold." Heather said as she shook her head.
Back on set
As Duncan was pretty much making a cheap abridged version of the Tango de la Muerte dance. Trent also tried to move around with Lindsay more quickly. However, it became more difficult as Lindsay's body began to cramp up and could barely move around in her heels at this point.
"Oh my gosh, can I tag out? Or at least get another partner? Where's Tyler?" Lindsay asked.
"He's not in the game!" Trent repeated.
"Move faster!" Izzy shouted.
Trent then raised Lindsay's arms before extending her back as their heads arched backwards. With Trent and Lindsay fixing their positions and quickly walking down one side together before Trent performed one more lift where Lindsay sat in an uncomfortable position on his shoulder.
"Trent… this… hurts… ouchie!" Lindsay said.
Trent groaned, "Sorry Lindsay, but we gotta do what Naruto did. Even if it means cramping up everything."
Lindsay paled and was about to object when Trent started balancing her on his shoulders like a ball. He then used every ounce of upper body strength to toss her up with his shoulders. Lindsay screamed in terror before being caught and swung around before being twirled around Trent's torso.
"Wooh! You guys got this!" Beth shouted.
"I got no idea what you're doing or how you're doing it but keep it up!" Justin shouted.
Trent gave a thumbs up as he made Lindsay spin around like a hula hoop. Which made Owen feel dizzy and almost want to vomit all the Mexican food.
But that was when Owen's brain grew two sizes bigger based on what he saw next. He saw Medusa rubbing her belly expectantly while Naruto kissed her on the cheek. All the while, Owen had flashbacks of his own mother doing the same thing when she got pregnant with his younger brothers. Owen then remembered what Tiago said about dancing and sex and it made him panic. Finally, he looked back at the two teams.
Duncan was still juggling Gwen while also sweeping her off her feet. While Trent was still doing his insane spinning moves around his waist.
"TRENT!" Owen screamed, scaring everyone. "YOU GOTTA STOP OR ELSE LINDSAY IS GOING TO GET PREGNANT"
"What!?" the Screaming Gaffers asked.
"Pregnant!?" Trent asked.
"Pageant? We're going to a pageant next?" Lindsay asked, mishearing.
At the same time, even Duncan looked horrified, "Pregnant!? What the heck is wrong with you!?"
At that moment, Duncan lost his footing and subconsciously grabbed Gwen and lifted her up. He then stumbled back and landed on his back while Gwen extended her limbs in a way that made her look elegant.
"Bravo! Bravo!" Tiago announced.
"Judges?" Chris asked.
"I'm gonna have to give it to Gwen and Duncan unless Trent has something to show off." Chef said.
"Yeah, Duncan was more creative once he took control." Pane said.
"Yeah, that flimsy crash in the end looked nicer than expected." Panic added.
Chris chuckled, "Yeah, it also sounds like Trent might owe some child support payments if he screws up."
At the same time, Trent was still panicking but came to a stop as he put a fist on his hip and extended his left leg. He then moved his arm up and threw Lindsay into the air who twirled like a ballerina before landing in the gap of his arm. Where he lowered her slightly and let Lindsay roll her upper waist back with her arms out.
Chris whistled, "Okay, that was a major recovery. Judges? Any changes of opinion?"
"I still say Duncan was better with movements and control, but Trent had some consistency." Pane said.
"Yeah and Trent didn't slip up once and he got a better style towards the end." Panic said.
Chef sighed, "Well, I gotta be honest. Duncan and Gwen clutched it and won my heart towards the end, but Trent and Lindsay barely slipped up. Even though I can hear several bones popping."
Chris grinned as he heard another bone pop as Trent and Lindsay were stuck in their positions.
"Little help, please?" Lindsay pleaded.
Naruto and a couple of maids came in and gently removed the two. With Naruto casting a simple magic to help alleviate any broken bones and cramps.
"Okay Chef, final decision." Chris said.
"Gwen and Duncan stole my heart for the most of it, but Trent and Lindsay kept it steady. The jealous boy and dumb girl win." Chef said as the Grips cheered.
"You heard it folks, the Killer Grips win!" Chris announced as the team cheered.
Trent hugged his teammates before noticing Gwen looking away from him. He then slapped his forehead as a heavy amount of anxiety hit him. However, just as he tried to approach her, Gwen was comforted by her teammates with some glaring his way.
"Now a small surprise for the Grips. This was a reward challenge." Chris said, shocking them. "That's right, Grips you're free to eat Chef's leftovers because the Grips are going to a buffet."
"A buffet!? No way!" Owen said excitedly.
Almost everyone on Trent's team got together and celebrated, minus Trent himself of course. Trent looked back at Gwen's team as a Tobi appeared and gave them a mini bronze trophy before leading them out.
Trent's Confessional
Trent repeatedly slapped his forehead before speaking, "I'm so stupid. I screwed up badly. How could I do that? I screwed up Gwen's dance."
Apparently, Trent was claiming that he won unfairly in some way. Even though it was Owen's fault for screaming about someone getting pregnant.
"Maybe I can make it up to her. What if I let them get the next reward challenge? That sounds fair right? What's one loss?" Trent asked, sounding desperate.
And thus, Trent ended up making things worse on his team. Which in turn would make things worse on Gwen as she would then be indirectly responsible for any faults Trent would cause for his team.
Back on set
Just as everyone prepared to leave for their reward. Lisa appeared with another medic and started checking Medusa with Naruto's insistence. Which ended with a real surprise that took multiple checks.
"Oh my, she's pregnant. How did she suddenly get pregnant?" Lisa asked.
"The dance, as I already said. It makes sex look like a church." Tiago said before walking out of the room.
"Someone sensor that part." Chris whispered, knowing mentioning sex wasn't okay on air.
Medusa just giggled as she covered her mouth while Naruto wrapped an arm around his wife and kissed her on the cheek. All the while Lisa tried to take this new information in.
"I'm going to be a grandmother again. I suppose this is a call for—"
Kushina suddenly jumped through the window and landed on top of Pane and Panic who screamed in terror.
"Wait, grandma? I thought that red haired woman was Naruto's mom." Heather said as her team stopped in place.
Lisa lowered her veil, surprising Leshawna who remembered her face.
"Wait a minute, you're that other lady. You were someone's mama!" She said, remembering Lisa's portrait.
"My name is Lisa Tepes. Like Kushina, I was brought back from the dead through strange means. I also raised Naruto when he was a child long after Kushina's initial death." Lisa explained, much to everyone's surprise.
"That's weird, he looks more like you with blond hair." Beth said, making Lisa snicker.
"I doubt that's the strangest detail here, given my exotic family." Lisa said as she closed her eyes and smiled.
"I think we should give the family some space. Come on guys." Owen said as he dragged Trent out of the room while leading everyone outside.
"Yeah, this fuzzy warm feeling isn't for me." Justin said as everyone left.
The shooting then stopped for a moment so Chris can advertise the end of the episode elsewhere. While Kushina suddenly got up and hugged her daughter-in-law.
"Yay! Grandbaby number… uh…"
"I forgot" Medusa replied.
"Eh?" Kushina asked.
The next day
Everyone but Owen was wearing a gas mask due to the high amounts of Latin food that Owen ate last. It wasn't just Mexican food he ate at the buffet. It was a whole variety of food from Columbia all the way to Chile and Argentina.
"I think Owen's farts could pass a geography exam." Harold said, too afraid to remove the gas mask.
"Forget tests, Owen has super powers with his farts." Duncan said with a groan.
"Well, keep him away from me. I think all that gas is damaging my skin. I can't even do a facial because of it." Justin said.
"I should have just let the Gaffers win." Trent said, but gave the wrong message.
"I would definitely take Owen crying about food rather than risk his super farts any day." Justin said, thinking Trent referred to the stench.
"Good choice, not just for my team's benefit but because Owen would just pass out after 20 minutes." Harold added.
A minute later, their trailer door opened to reveal Veldora with a hazmat suit.
"Everyone, it's time for the challenge. We couldn't risk waking everyone up at the same time because of the large boy." Veldora whispered.
"Wait, you're super powerful. Why are you worried about Owen?" Duncan asked.
"I am a thousand times more sensitive to smells. Imagine being immune to being stabbed but still feeling the immense pain from it." Veldora answered.
"Good point." Duncan said as he got up out of bed.
All the boys except Owen quickly got dressed and got out of the trailer. Where a couple members of the stage crew came in and threw some clothes on Owen's belly. Before using all of their strength to dump Owen inside of a plastic bubble.
"What the? Where am I? Is this a prank?" Owen asked, not being scared yet.
"Owen, my friend. Your farting powers have gone haywire due to the food you ate last night. This bubble is to contain you until your body calms down." Veldora explained.
"Hey! Stop treating me like a fart bomb!" Owen yelled.
"Well, that's what you literally became." Veldora said.
"Let me out! I'm claustrophobic!" Owen yelled as he tried to escape.
The set crew ignored him and proceeded to roll him out of the trailer. Where he was able to join the rest of the contestants.
"I see Owen is finally able to join us." Chris said as he removed a gas mask from his face.
"Chris! I'm trapped in a bubble and naked!" Owen cried out.
"Yeah, we noticed that. You might wanna get dressed." Chris said.
"And hurry too! My eyes!" Heather shouted as she and the girls minus Izzy covered their vision.
Owen groaned as he got dressed while Chef and a few others carried some trailers to a nearby spot.
"Anyways, welcome back to day four. Today, you will be simulating a typical film set." Chris said.
"Wait, we're filming a movie? Isn't that out of place?" Heather asked, having expected a random genre.
"Yeah, but we wanted the teams to be even during the dance challenge. So we moved the challenges around and moved the next elimination to happen today." Chris explained.
"It's still cool, now we get to feel like we're making a movie." Harold said.
"Yes, that is nice. However, your first challenge is to get the trailers up that hill." Chris said, pointing to the giant hill.
Everyone remained silent before they started to complain at the sheer difficulty of the task.
"How!?" Heather angrily asked.
"Figure it out. You all survived worse." Chris said before laughing.
Before they could argue, Naruto arrived in dragon form and stood perched on the upper half of the hill. He then smacked his tail on the hills, giving them memories of the first season's first challenge. Which weren't nice as they were introduced to the supernatural for the very first time and saw something worse than a dinosaur.
"Does he need, to be–"
"Yes, yes he does." Chris interrupted. "Anyways, hurry up with those trailers."
Chris then drove off on a golf cart, leaving the contestants to look at the trailers. From what they saw, the trailers were filled with makeup and other sound equipment for a set. Then they looked up at how high they needed to take the trailers.
Which left Trent with making a tough choice that would make his teammates hate him. Although some would agree with what he had to do, the quiet ones wouldn't share the same amount of hate directed at Trent.
"Someone get Owen out of the bubble." Trent said.
"Why!?" Justin asked, losing his cool for once.
Beth and Lindsay were startled by the outburst while even Izzy felt a bit unnerved. It was also at that moment that Justin stopped and realized his sudden stress made him forma wrinkle around his eye.
"Look, Owen's our strongest teammate. He's the only one who could get that trailer up there." Trent said, making some of them sigh.
"That's right! Free Big-O! Free Big-O!" Izzy chanted.
"Free Big-O! Free Big-O!" Milim shouted as she also suddenly appeared.
Then the two friends continued to cheer which gave Trent a headache as he pulled out the gas mask. Everyone else did the same as Trent poked up the bubble and released the gas that Owen released from his farting. Which in itself would have possibly made the Canadian government quarantine the area out of fear of bioterrorism.
"Aw, thanks guys. For that, I'm getting that trailer up there." Owen said, sounding motivated.
"Wait, while it's already late to do this. Why don't we have Milim carry it up there?" Justin suddenly asked.
"Or, just hear me out." Lindsay said. "We ask Tyler to carry the trailer because he's super athletic."
"Tyler's not here!" everyone shouted, making Lindsay wince.
Trent then looked at Milim, "I don't know, isn't that cheating?"
As he asked this, he looked at Gwen from the corner of his eye. Trent thought that maybe Izzy could convince Milim to just carry the trailer up the hill since they're close friends. However, while also unfair, he didn't want to make Gwen's team suffer. Because it already looked like they planned to make DJ drag the trailer but was refusing to do so.
"What do you say, bestie?" Izzy asked.
"Sure, I got this." Milim said as she walked up the trailer.
With her inhuman strength, Milim lifted the trailer above her head like she was carrying a plate. She then turned and aimed for the hill only to hear her father smack his tail against the hill again.
"Milim, no interfering." Naruto said.
"But dad!" Milim whined.
"You can hang out with whoever you want, but you cannot help anyone." Naruto told her sternly.
Milim pouted as she put down the trailer, which made Trent sigh in relief. Which didn't go unnoticed by Beth or Justin who felt suspicious.
"If you think about it, Milim would have accidentally destroyed the trailer that way." Owen said, distracting the two team members.
Owen then went back to doing the work himself. Where he removed his belt and tied it to the front of the trailer and around his forehead. Once Owen got moving, his pants fell and he awkwardly started to move while covering his exposed genitals.
"This is embarrassing!" Owen shouted.
Suddenly, an intern ran by and gave Owen a belt to fix his shorts. Once Owen fixed his embarrassing situation, he got moving again.
"Okay, second try, let's go!" Owen said as he began to run.
"Yeah! Owen! Owen! Owen!" Beth cheers as her team follows Owen.
At the same time, Gwen and everyone else were still arguing with DJ. Who was trying to explain the risks of the trailer falling and hurting someone if he or some other factor dropped the trailer. Which made it very difficult for the Screaming Gaffers to argue past DJ's insecurities.
"DJ, if you don't get that trailer up there. We will lose this challenge." Heather said, holding back her anger.
"Hey, it's better to lose one million dollars than to lose your life." DJ said, sharing some wisdom.
Unfortunately, wisdom wasn't enough to make the team quit pestering him. Especially as the episode wasn't going to be a simple one like they all wish. Instead, they heard the sound of a horde of animals heading their way.
"Something tells me that we're going to die regardless." Gwen said.
"Aw, heck no! There's some demon dog heading this way!" Leshawna yelled.
Everyone turned and saw Cerberus heading their way and snarling. Which made DJ more anxious as he didn't see anywhere to escape as multiple other animals started closing in on them.
The team was about to argue with DJ about the life or death scenario they were now in. When DJ opened the trailer door and threw them all inside and started dragging the trailer up the hill. Completely forgetting about the earlier risks he mentioned and using his own fear to motivate him.
"AHHHHH!" DJ screamed as he dragged the trailer up the hill.
"Woah! That's one way to motivate him!" Duncan said.
The Gaffers then brushed past the equipment and other stuff in the trailer. Where they soon looked out the window to find Maggie riding on Cerberus' back as she led the animals up the hill.
"Who let a baby ride Hades' pet?" Harold asked.
"I'm getting some nasty flashbacks from all this." Heather said as the chase continued.
At the halfway point
Naruto was still sitting in dragon form as he saw Owen still moving. As he watched the large boy power through his exhaustion to reach the top of the hill. Naruto heard a horde of animals approaching and turned to see Maggie riding on Cerberus again while leading an army of animals to chase the two teams.
"Maggie? What did I say?" Naruto asked as Owen began moving faster.
"Did someone break into a zoo?" Lindsay asked as she saw the horde.
"Lindsay, I don't know what Zoos you visit, but those aren't normal animals." Beth answered.
"Are they European?" Lindsay asked.
Beth was no history buff and imagined Harold would give her some technical details. Perhaps some of the animals were European in the sense of originating from various European folklore. Beasts belonging to old wives and fishermen's tales.
"Just keep running!" Beth said.
Soon enough, DJ managed to catch up to Owen and continued to run. With the two looking at each other for a moment before continuing to scream in fright. Neither caring who wins at this point at time so long as they survive.
"Hurry Owen! We can't let DJ win!" Trent said.
"Let DJ win? Brother I just want to live!" Owen replied.
Izzy just laughed, "We don't need to beat DJ to win. We just gotta outrun him and let those things get him first. We would slow them down by letting those monsters much on his flesh."
Izzy then started to mimic the behavior of a hungry ferocious beast. Which only further scared DJ into running faster.
"Oh Lord or whoever is up there watching me! Give me the strength and speed to avoid letting me become dinner!" DJ pleaded.
At this rate, the two sides eventually reached the finish line where Chris set up two film sets. The animals and Maggie were stopped by Naruto's tail which blocked their path. Naruto surrounded Cerberus as he nodded to Milim to pick up Maggie.
"You're a wild one, little sister. I didn't know you were a natural leader at this age." Milim said as Maggie giggled.
Milim then floated to her father and landed on his head before patting Maggie's back.
"Wait, how are you even able to reach Cerberus? Is Hades letting him out?" Milim asked.
Maggie innocently sucked on her pacifier as a response to the question. Leaving Naruto to sigh and walk towards the side of the set as the next challenge.
"So, who won?" Trent asked.
"Neither, I bet." Gwen said as she came out of the trailer. "Go on Chris. What's the tie breaker challenge?"
"There isn't one. The trailers weren't the challenge. Technically, you can still move in without them." Chris said, annoying the teams.
Chris was correct but the lack of trailers would make things a lot more difficult. However, he would need to explain that as he started to explain the next challenge.
"So basically, you're going to film a movie with one of the provided scripts. Obviously, none of you have talent whatsoever." Chris said bluntly.
"Hey!" Everyone yelled.
"So we're making it very simple for all of you. All you gotta do is perform well enough to make Chef show any amount of emotion." Chris explained.
Everyone looked at Chef who took his seat and put on his headphones to look at a screen. Only to glare and snarl at everyone, reminding them that he's aggressive and hates showing any empathy.
"Remember, he's a former army corporal and has seen wild things." Chris added.
Everyone sighed and began to unload the trailers. All the while Gwen and Trent looked through the piles of scripts within a box. Awkwardly trying to avoid looking at each other as the tension has not gone down by much.
That is until Trent made it worse by finding an alien movie script.
"Hey, this looks like a good fit. You could totally pull of a scary alien creature." He said.
Gwen stared at him before holding back a sigh and grabbing a couple of scripts.
"Good luck Trent." She said as she walked away.
"Nice flirting skills!" Duncan mocked.
Trent's confessional
Trent looked really confused, "What? I was just being honest. If Gwen wanted. She could be an amazing actress. Wouldn't you agree that she would look amazing as an alien monster?"
Trent took a minute to realize the irony of what he said by calling his girlfriend a monster.
"Stupid!" He cursed.
Gwen's confessional
"Look, I know Trent meant well but seriously? He could have worded that better. I feel like being in opposite teams puts too much pressure on him." Gwen said, trying to sympathize with her boyfriend.
Back on set
Harold gasped as he grabbed one of the scripts and saw it was from a memorable comic book he liked.
"Okay, while this throws away traditional superheroes. Then opened up a whole row of doors to some stereotypical stigma. This movie is awesome." Harold explained.
"What do you have there?" Leshawna asked curiously.
"The Watchmen, while the movie is so-so and a bit bloody. We got a good scene here." Harold said as he read the script.
"Bloody? How are we allowed to show that?" DJ asked, looking squeamish.
"Maybe with special effects. This part we got only covers the ending where Rorschach gets blown up by Dr. Manhattan." Harold answered.
"Blown up!?" DJ asked.
"Yeah, but it's not a lot. Then again, I doubt you guys want to do a movie about a comic book. Especially since this scene is about a crazy detective style hero who's brutal and shows his rare bit of empathy." Harold explained with passion in his voice.
"We're doing it." Gwen said.
"I knew it. Oh well, I guess… wait, what?" Harold asked with wide eyes.
"What was that? I didn't hear you right girl." Leshawna said.
"I don't know that movie, but Harold is helping us and we're getting Duncan to play Rosha." Gwen said.
"What!?" Duncan asked as he looked annoyed.
"It's "Rorschach" and Duncan can't do it! He's… okay, he's super violent and angry, he gets that much. Except this part is where Rorsach has enough and has this crisis where he's close to breaking down but doesn't until his death." Harold explained as Gwen just snickered.
"Duncan." She said.
Duncan rolled his eyes and knew how this argument would end.
Duncan's Confessional
Duncan's eye twitched as he threw down a stack of notes given to him by Harold.
"Harold told me it was a short comic book. A short one! Why did he need to over analyze it!?" he asked angrily.
Suddenly, Narberal entered the scene and shoved a paperback volume into Duncan's hands. With Duncan noticing how thick it was with so many pages.
"Is this a comic book or a freaking almanac?" Duncan asked.
"20th century comics were absurdly long. Enjoy your study session." Narberal said with a blank expression.
Duncan just stared at the large book and looked back at the camera looking annoyed. He was lucky it wasn't a comic book from the 1930s. Aside from racism and sexism, those comics had multiple anthologies.
Back on set
With the Killer Grips, the team were going through the scripts and makeup as they were still deciding on what to film. When Linsday decided to make a suggestion.
"I should Tyler what… oh no! I learned my lesson!" Lindsay said, making Beth smile.
"Lindsay, you finally realized–"
"I don't need Tyler's input. I can make my own decisions. I shouldn't distract him." Lindsay said, still oblivious.
Beth just stared at Lindsay, feeling stupified by the comment. At the same time, Beth's optimism told her to congratulate Lindsay on wanting to be independent. Not that she had too many issues with needing directions as of late.
"I have an idea!" Trent said, gathering everyone's attention. "We should do a scene from this alien film. That way, we can impress Gwen– I mean, we can show off our knowledge of alien movies and um, win."
At the cost of wrinkles and looking even the slightest less bit attractive. Justin's face folded into a very annoyed and disappointed look. Which looked hilarious to some people as he looked like an angry old man. Leaving Trent to realize how stupid he just sounded at the mention of his plan.
"Or we can all pick a script then vote." Trent suggested, making everyone sigh.
"What about this one? It's about a kind old lady reflecting on her past days in a cute way." Beth suggested.
"I can do it! I have an old soul! In fact, I'm the reincarnation of my grandma, Mavis!" Izzy said, earning odd looks.
"I'm sorry, what?" Justin asked.
Izzy then started speaking like an Irish woman, "Aye, I be an old soul, lad. Me memory may be foggy, but me bones are still fresh and ripe like ye old taters from the old country."
Everyone tried to ignore that weird impression before Justin spoke up next.
"What about this? Lord of the Rings, I heard that's nerdy movie but its famous." he suggested as Beth peered at the script.
"I mean, Gollum is a memorable character, I guess." Beth said before hearing Izzy scream like a lunatic.
"I think we broke Izzy!" Owen yelled in terror.
Izzy then got on all fours and hopped around like some creature or a human raised by wolves. She then pounced beside Owen and let out a shrill cry in front of him.
"What's it doing!? Stupid fat hobbit, you ruined it!" Izzy yelled, doing her Gollum impression.
"Ah, Izzy, I'm not a–"
"Taters? What's taters, Precious?" Izzy interrupted, continuing her act.
"Taters? You mean potatoes? They're veggies, you can use them for a lot of stuff. Even cook them into fries with fish." Owen said, feeling hungry.
When Izzy blew a raspberry at his face.
"Hey! You asked me. You don't need to be rude." Owen said, looking annoyed as Izzy crawled away.
"...you guys don't realize it, but Izzy just nailed the role hard." Beth commented as she was both scared and impressed by the performance.
Izzy then pulled out an onion ring and began stroking it as if it were the most important thing in the world. At the same time, Owen felt more hungry and slowly approached Izzy who growled at him as he came too close.
"Stay away from the precious!" Izzy yelled.
"Okay fine! I'll get one from the crafts table!" Owen said as he ran away.
Justin then looked around, "Wait, did they even set up a food table?"
Trent's confessional
Trent let out a sigh, "Okay, I'm focusing back on the game. No more thinking about Gwen. If things were the other way around. Gwen wouldn't pity me, but that shouldn't stop me from trying to be a good sport."
Trent then got startled as he heard Izzy's shrill screams in the background along with the sounds of her mimicking a slobbering animal.
"Okay, we're not doing Gollum. Not without Izzy biting some dude's finger off." he said.
Naruto's Confessional
The Dragon of the Apocalypse is seen putting on a black outfit with a long cape over his shoulders. He then adjusted his blond hair as Solution came in with a Guy Fawkes mask and a wig. The camera then showed Solution quickly but gently putting the mask on his face and adjusting the brown wig on his head before placing a hat on top.
"There my lord." Solution said.
Naruto nodded at Solution who left. Leaving Naruto to clear his throat and look at the camera with his hands clasped together.
"Everybody is special. Everybody. Everybody is a hero, a lover, a fool, a villain. Everybody. Everybody has their story to tell." Naruto said, mimicking a British accent.
Naruto then stood up from his seat, bowed like a gentlemen before walking out of the confessional.
Back on set
Naruto managed to make his way back to the set without being recognized by the contestants. He then walked up to the third set in between the two sets prepared for the teams.
"Hey, who's that guy?" Beth asked as Naruto continued to walk.
"Another "intern" probably." Trent guessed.
"Whatever, we gotta turn Izzy into an old woman." Justin said as Izzy was speaking like an Irish woman again.
As Naruto approached his set, he passed by Duncan who managed to prepare a half decent Rorschach costume. He ended up crossing close paths with the delinquent who didn't recognize him behind the costume either.
"What the?" Duncan asked.
Naruto quietly bowed his head and then tipped his hat like a gentleman as a joke. To which Duncan hesitantly raised his fedora for a second as if that was an equally good greeting. Naruto just stared for a second before moving onto his set.
"Who is that guy?" Duncan asked.
"He's just the best actor we could find. Don't mind him, haha." Chris said as he walked by.
Duncan shrugged his shoulders and went to meet up with his team. Where Harold would likely continue to try and force him to understand Rorschach's character.
Naruto double checked his costume again and made sure it wouldn't fall apart during the filming. The reason for what he was about to do was because Chris wanted to intimidate the contestants so they could feel intimidated by a professional performance. Basically to make them feel the same sense of anxiety they felt during the dance challenge.
Naruto then let out a sigh as he took his seat behind the news desk on the set. Which soon earned the attention of everyone including Chef who was still looking at the screen.
"Hey Chris, what's this one?" Chef asked curiously.
"Just wanted to "motivate" the campers." Chris said before chuckling.
Chef rolled his eyes, "Well he better be good. I'm no philosopher but it was still a good watch."
Little did Chef or even Chris know that Naruto was under the mask. At the moment, the two thought Naruto sent one of his servants or one of his kids to get dressed. Now they would get a great surprise when it was over.
"Okay, show me what you got." Chef said as he watched.
For everyone else, they saw the performance through another pair of screens on both sides. Where they saw a static effect play as Naruto came on and gave them a friendly welcoming gesture.
"Good evening London, allow me first to apologize for the interruption." Naruto said in a British accent.
"What the heck is this?" Leshawna asked.
"Who's the dude with the creepy mask?" DJ asked his teammates watched.
"I do, like many of you, appreciate the comforts of every day routine- the security of the familiar, the tranquility of repetition. I enjoy them as much as any bloke. But in the spirit of commemoration, those important events of the past usually associated with someone's death or the end of some awful bloody struggle are celebrated with a nice holiday."
Lindsay and Beth were shaking as they held each other in terror.
"Relax guys, it's not a horror movie." Trent said.
"But the creepy mask." Beth complained, making Trent sigh.
"I thought we could mark this November the 5th, a day that is sadly no longer remembered, by taking some time out of our daily lives to sit down and have a little chat. There are of course those who do not want us to speak. I suspect even now, orders are being shouted into telephones, and men with guns will soon be on their way. Why? Because while the truncheon may be used in lieu of conversation, words will always retain their power. Words offer the means to meaning, and for those who will listen, the enunciation of truth."
"Huh? What's the truth?" Lindsay asked, suddenly feeling invested.
In the surveillance room
Kushina was sitting in the room where everyone monitors the movie set and the show. Kushina was sitting around with Kanna sitting on her lap who was eating snacks. When Kushina's attention turned to the screen with Naruto on it.
"What's that?" she asked.
"And the truth is, there is something terribly wrong with this country, isn't there? Cruelty and injustice, intolerance and oppression. And where once you had the freedom to object, think, and speak as you saw fit, you now have sensors and systems of surveillance coercing your conformity and soliciting your submission. How did this happen? Who's to blame? Well, certainly there are those more responsible than others, and they will be held accountable, but again truth be told, if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror."
Kanna looked at the monitor curiously, "Grandma, what's he talking about?"
"Hold on, Kanna-chan." Kushina said as she leaned closely.
In the medical tent
Lisa was treating a random servant who injured himself on set. As she worked along with the other medics including Sapphentite. When she heard the television playing in the background. Where she heard Naruto's performance and almost mistook it for a real broadcast.
"I know why you did it. I know you were afraid. Who wouldn't be? War, terror, disease. There were a myriad of problems which conspired to corrupt your reason and rob you of your common sense. Fear got the best of you, and in your panic you turned to the now High Chancellor, Adam Sutler. He promised you order, he promised you peace, and all he demanded in return was your silent, obedient consent. Last night I sought to end that silence. Last night I destroyed the Old Bailey, to remind this country of what it has forgotten."
"Yikes, I almost feel scared." Sapphentite said as she shivered.
"More than four hundred years ago a great citizen wished to embed the fifth of November forever in our memory. His hope was to remind the world that fairness, justice, and freedom are more than words, they are perspectives. So if you've seen nothing, if the crimes of this government remain unknown to you, then I would suggest you allow the fifth of November to pass unmarked."
Once Lisa finished treating her patient, she approached the television. Feeling as if the person behind the screen was legitimately disgusted with the government and wanted everyone to feel the same way.
'This is amazingly realistic.' Lisa thought.
Back with Naruto
With every few sentences, Naruto's head twitched as if he were trying to contain his disdain. WHich added to the emotion he tried to show and impose on others.
"But if you see what I see, if you feel as I feel, and if you would seek as I seek, then I ask you to stand beside me one year from tonight, outside the gates of Parliament, and together we shall give them a fifth of November that shall never, ever be forgot."
The filming ended with another distorted effect and Naruto got up from his seat. Where several people clapped at the performance.
"Okay, that was great but it means we have higher standards to reach now." Heather said as she looked annoyed.
"No kidding. That's Alan Moore for you." Harold said, earning odd looks. "Alan Moore? You know, he wrote both Watchmen and V for Vendetta."
"Well now I know I can't keep up with that performance." Duncan said, feeling like he was going to lag behind.
Then Chris arrived, "Amazing performance, I hope you all try to top that performance. "Try" being the key word, haha. Get to it!"
Both teams sighed as they sent their respective actors to prepare for their own filmings.
A few minutes later, with Chef
Chef was chugging down a bottle of water before catching his breath. He was thinking about how well Naruto did and saw little hope for DJ's team in comparison. Unknown to anyone but maybe the viewers, Chef was hoping to get DJ to team up with him to split the prize money. As well as teaching the kid how to be tough in order to win this difficult game show.
"Yo Chris, who was that guy? The hairs on my back are still standing. That's the first time a speech made my heart beat fast." Chef said with wide eyes.
Chef didn't get an answer as he saw Duncan's performance go first. Which made him sigh as he expected a very angsty scene.
The filming started and Duncan stepped out of the bunker on the set. Walking like he was both tired and frustrated with life. That much looked real until Duncan stopped and pretended that Dr. Manhattan was in front of him. Duncan then moved towards the camera as if he was about to pick a fight.
"Out of my way, people have to be told." Duncan said, sounding aggressive.
Chef rolled his eyes as it didn't sound convincing at first.
"Suddenly you discover humanity. Convenient." Duncan said.
Everyone then watched as Duncan removed his mask showing some cuts and bruises. Which surprisingly looked good as DJ was the one who applied the necessary makeup to make it look real.
"If you cared from the start. None of this would have happened." Duncan continued.
Chef then looked towards Izzy's performance but saw her pretending to be a little old lady. Who suddenly turned from sweet and frail to a crazy Irish woman with an eccentric personality. Which made Chef just sigh at how much Izzy tried too hard. So he went back to looking at Duncan who showed an angry look.
"Of course. You must protect Veidt's new utopia. What's one more body amongst the foundations?" Duncan asked, almost looking like he didn't care.
Chef was about to look away again but the next scene caught everyone's eyes. They watched Duncan's face betray the look of anger he had.
"What are you waiting for?" Duncan asked, still sounding tough.
Then a brief pause later, Duncan's face contorted into one of despair.
"Do it." he said, sounding hoarse.
Everyone watched in surprise as Duncan showed sadness. They were unsure if he was trying to show remorse or fear or something. With Duncan putting on a final attempt to hide his sad face.
"DO IT!" Duncan screamed before a special effect played, making it look like he exploded.
"Oh shoot!" Chef shouted as he got out of his seat.
"We have a winner! Also, i-is Duncan alive? T-that wasn't a random misfire, right?" Chris asked, trying to not look nervous.
Duncan then poked his head out from behind a rock as he grinned.
"Aw, you! The Screaming Gaffers win!" Chris announced.
The Screaming Gaffers huddled around Duncan and cheered for him while the Killer Grips looked sad. Only to then switch to fearful as Izzy went back to pretending to be Gollum again.
"This was your fault, Izzy." Izzy said to herself in the mirror.
"No it wasn't, I put in the effort. I felt Granny Mavis within me. Believe me, E-Scope." Izzy replied innocently.
"It's always your fault. Your teammates think you're crazy. They think you're a liar." Izzy replied with a snarl.
"I'm not crazy, I'm fun." Izzy said.
"And a danger."
"No."
"No one likes you."
"My friends do!"
"You don't have friends."
Chris started to look nervous, "Uh, is Izzy okay?"
"When is she ever okay?" Justin asked.
Everyone then watched as Izzy argued with herself like a psychopath. With her seemingly developing multi personality disorder or something. Which came to an end when Milim arrived and put a ring on her pinky.
"There, E-Scope is gone." Milim said.
"Milim! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! E-Scope took more control than I realized." Izzy said as she hugged her friend tightly.
The two friends hugged as if they had slane a monster together with the power of friendship. Which did absolutely nothing to help their situation. In fact, it looked like Chef got scared by how much more unhinged Izzy looked when she argued with her own reflection.
"Wait, so do we go back to calling her Izzy?" Beth asked.
"What was her name again?" LIndsay asked.
"Just forget, sorry guys but we gotta decide on who's leaving." Trent said before looking at Gwen's team for a moment.
Gwen looked back and waved at him, giving him a smile in hopes of making him feel a bit better. Which it did, but it would end up biting Trent in the butt later.
Then Trent felt a hand on his shoulder and saw the masked man who startled him. Despite being afraid of mimes, Trent felt more startled just seeing the creepy smiling face on the mask.
"If it helps, Duncan would never make a move on Gwen." Naruto said.
"What? That's not what I was thinking–"
"Duncan keeps a photograph of Courtney with him. I have one here." Naruto interrupted, showing a photo of Courtney reading a book.
"Hey man! That's not cool! Give it back!" Duncan yelled.
Naruto tossed the photo like a shuriken, allowing for Duncan to catch it. Which earned him some odd looks from his teammates.
"What? It's a good photo. Besides, Courtney totally told me to hang onto this. I'm not keeping it because I want to." Duncan lied.
His teammates laughed at how sensitive he was about his love for courtney. As for the other team, they had curious looks in regards to Naruto.
"Dude, this probably doesn't matter but who are you?" Trent asked.
At that moment, Trent got scared again and reached a new level of fear. Because Naruto removed his wig and mask to reveal himself, looking apathetic as usual rather than passionate as he sounded during the filming.
"N-Naruto?" Trent asked.
"That was you? But it didn't sound like it!" Justin said, sounding shocked.
"Yeah, you sounded like you wanted us to start a revolution." Beth added.
Naruto sighed, "Acting is about becoming someone else. Becoming someone believable."
"...that makes sense." Lindsay said, surprising everyone.
Chris laughed in the background, "Okay dude, I didn't see that one. I thought you sent someone else to do that."
Naruto just walked away and regrouped with Solution and the other maids who helped him get out of wardrobe.
Later that night
The Gilded Chris awards began and went through the same process as with the alien challenge. Chris awaited the results and saw Medusa arrive in the same purple dress with the Gilded Chris awards and the envelope.
"Well, today was interesting and we had some surprises along the way. However, what shouldn't be shocking is who's leaving today." Chris said as he opened the envelope.
Chris then nodded at Medusa who began to throw the chocolate trophies at everyone who wasn't eliminated. Starting with Owen, Beth, Lindsay and Trent, leaving only Justin and Izzy.
"And the one getting the final Gilded Chris is… Justin. Sorry Izzy, you're out." Chris said as Medusa gave Justin his trophy.
Izzy suddenly twitched like the crazy person she is again. Where she then closed her eyes and crossed her arms as if to act defiant.
"I'm not leaving, that's not my name." Izzy said.
Medusa looked confused for a minute but then saw Chris grab a contract and rewrite some parts while adding a stamp.
"Okay, it says E-Scope now. I'll get this notarized and legally declare that "E-Scope" is eliminated." Chris said as Izzy got up and walked away.
"NOOOO!" Milim shouted in the distance.
Milim was suddenly seen trying to run up to the awards show but was held back by Anna and a few of her other siblings. At the same time, she had to watch as Izzy just gave Milim a sad wave.
"Don't worry, I'll see ya later Milim! You'll all see me again! Mark my words!" Izzy said before running into the limousine.
As it drove off, Izzy popped her out the window one more time.
"Mark them!" she shouted.
While the depressed Milim was taken back to her room. Chris was about to give her final announcements when remembered a small detail. Where he pulled out a trophy and put it on the tray that Medusa was using for the Gilded Chris trophies.
"That reminds me, dude. The Academy sent this for you." Chris said as he looked towards Naruto who was in the background.
Naruto briefly showed some surprise as he saw the award. He wasn't much for awards of this era and it wasn't as good as an Oscar but accepted it as he seemed appropriate. When Medusa arrived with it, she gave him a kiss and then handed it to him.
"And the award for Brief Recreation of a Monologue goes to Naruto Uzumaki!" Chris announced as a few people clapped while the Grips could only sigh.
"Wow, even a secondary character who works in the background got an award. What does that have to say for us?" Justin asked.
"I wonder what kind of chocolate he got." Owen said, not realizing the trophy was real.
Lindsay and Beth just clapped away while Trent went to go talk to Gwen who seemed to be on speaking terms with him again. Leaving Chris to remind everyone to be ready for the next episode of Total Drama Action.
Elsewhere
DJ was meeting with Chef in the kitchen as part of their secret alliance. Unbeknownst to them, Kushina was nearby with Maggie in her arms. The resurrected red head was going to cook something up for her grandchild when she saw the meeting. She didn't think much about it as she saw DJ as a sweet but wimpy boy and Chef as just some crazy old man.
That is until she heard their talk about an alliance. So she gestured for Maggie to be quiet and the baby nodded.
"You looked pretty shocked with Duncan's performance." DJ said with a smile.
"Yeah, you're lucky I was the judge and Izzy was giving it 210% with the crazy. Boy, you're not going to make it in the game with convenience." Chef said sternly.
"Then what am I supposed to do Chef?" DJ asked.
"You gotta not only step up but be a man. It's a good thing your girly makeup skills got Duncan's cuts to look real. What you need is pride, loyalty and more." Chef said.
"Okay, but how am I supposed to know what to do?" DJ asked nervously.
"Boy, do I have to spell it out for you every time? I'll coach you on the way but you gotta learn since I won't always be there. I'm lucky enough that most of the production staff ignore me." Chef explained.
"Hey speaking of which, if this alliance is illegal and so many people ignore you. Then who's in charge?" DJ asked.
"The executives and Chris, after that. Naruto is just telling his minions to listen to Chris and whatever person in a suit says in regards to the show. Still, we gotta keep this quiet. So be less obvious out there in the following games." Chef said.
DJ nodded and after Chef left, the boy started cooking in the kitchen. Leaving Kushina to frown and wonder what Chef is doing. At the same time, she's wondering why DJ is cooking a lot of food in the kitchen. So she waited around for a minute before walking inside like she didn't just hear something illegal.
"Oh, hello DJ. You're up late." Kushina said, making DJ squeal in fear.
"Oh, uh, yeah I am. H-How can I help you Mrs. Uzumaki?" DJ asked, failing to hide his nerves.
Kushina gave a playful smile, "Just making some mush for Maggie here."
DJ didn't think much of it and set out some vegetables and started making the food himself. He surprised Kushina as she was going to make the food herself. Only to watch the boy cook like a master and prepare something healthy and delicious for the baby girl.
"Impressive, how does a boy your age not have a girlfriend?" Kushina asked, making him blush.
"Thanks, my mama taught me a lot. As for a girlfriend, she's always asking me the same thing." DJ answered.
Kushina smiled at the sweet boy and could see he was a gentle soul. Her sensory ability didn't need to be amplified by Naruto to tell he was genuinely nice. However, as a mother (and now a grandmother), Kushina couldn't help but feel concerned about why he's being forced to work with someone like Chef. It's one thing for a mentor to step up and teach a soft boy to man up, but she felt like worse things were to come.
'I probably can't trust that man, Chris, with this information. Maybe I should bring it up with Naruto or something.' Kushina thought.
Kushina then smiled at DJ as she took the food and left. Leaving DJ feeling a bit anxious about what's to come. Surprisingly, his cooking would not take a negative turn during that encounter.
'What's the worse Chef is going to make me do. He's not gonna make me do bad things, right? Right?' DJ thought nervously.
TO BE CONTINUED…